OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

,~ 

8onor8ble Gee. 2, Gheppaml 

cempfrono 

Austsn. tezw 

DoarI;r.IbeppaHf 

ing April 14, 1946. The- lea8e contrrot call8 

for 

f 

1~ m month rental and ia prryable out of 

the ‘atbooR Fun&. 

*You will notioo that this lo-&d contract YSS 5sde prior to the enactmmt of the 

epprupriatioa bill for the ensuing bisnnim. 
849 

tionorable 000. 2. Sheppard - page 2 

‘II &all thank 700 to advise this departaamt rhethc this 18 4 t8lid aontract md 

whotber it ia aubjoot to tbo prwislona of 

Senate Bill 260. In this oonneotion I call 

your attention co Artiola a869 and Article 

2667 IrC*rn., le8e.8 

. 

Irtioiea 2663, 2666 and 2666 oi the Raiaad 

civil watut4a bre aa follwa~ 

.Art. 2867. fn orda to ou-ry out the 

;irwiaion8 of thta Aot the state boarb of 

Education eholl ammall;l at a meeting dealgnated by thorn eaCil yew, #et apart out OS 

the ctrilable ire4 cchool fund of the state 

an awiount stafflatent to purchase marl dFatribute the necetmary school booka for the uae 

or the pupils ot thia State for the soholoatlo year enauiq. 

ma-t. 2666, The State textbook fund of 

tUa State shall oonalat of tbo tund cot 

amide by the State Board of Edusrtlon from 

tbe available achool fund am la provided for 

in this Aot, together mitb 811 funds aacruins; from tbe #al4 of dimmed book8 and all 

moae78 dorited from the puWta8e of books 

?rom boards of aohool trusteea b7 private 

ind&ridurla, by sobools, or Prom any other 

l o ur o e . 

*A. 2869. The State Doard o f Eduo a - 

tion shall require iros the State 6uperlatend4nt on Jul7 iirat of 44oh year a report am to 

the funds neo44s4ry for the purohaae and distributiun of other n44444ary erpensea of 

soboot, boo&o for tbo regular sahool 448410n 

of tbe folloting your, and aaid board of Rluoation shmU lmvo the polrer to 64t apart fxwm 

the available school fund ftle astimrtsd amount 

with 26 par oont 4ddition81, thi4 nbdlti4n41 

tin85 to be ustxi to ni44t eaerr;oncies or aeeeasities oauscd b7 unucua~ inoreose in l oholectio 

ottendanoe or b7 uauourL and unior4se- ox- 
850 

honorable Gee. 0. Sheppard - p8ge 3 

p ena enna d l o h o o o o l nditio uTua . ndr tranafavrod la the tart book IWad mhall rrrPin 

peraanaatl~ in this fuawl until expended, and 

ahall not lapmo to tEe fat4 at.tbe eloae of 

the Timal Tear. 3he st8ta suprintrrrbent 

of Publlo Lnotruotio8 ahrll be roqnirod te 

inolude la tbe aforamtioaed report to the 

L)tatO Wnrd of 18duontion a l trtoment am to 

the aaoumC of this fund rhieh is unapaaded, 

ad rnld amount @ball be ooaa&0erod W the 

board in deters&lag the neoaaaw erpsaditwos f DT tslrtb44kS for tha iolloriay Jonr.* 

In the gureral Appropriation Bill ot the 4lth 

Legisl8ture there mu opproprinted tot tbo Textbook 

Dttiaioa ot the Daprctmemt of I!Auo&tion, urder the head 

of Niialntsfutmo and Ylsosllan40urm, Xtaa 100, as follower 

l Wfioe sad d4po8ltory 8uppliea. 0xpr488, 

drayage, printing, stationery, rent, oontiagear expanse, freight On used boolrr, postage 

and her rant, t414phona, telegraph, tssasng4r 

mrvioe, lntersst and trarsl 4xp4aae,$19,000.004 

for the reapeotlre fiaoal 74ara of the biannlua~ 

Correapoldlngl7, th4 bianmirl appropriation or 

tha 4nth Legislature for the Textbook Dlriaion, Itoa 87, 

dar 4k~ntemm44 and i.ireeli4naous~ ie 4s foll48r: 

kioe and depository auppliea, postage, 

aproas, ilrryage, telephone, t414grrph, pclating, atotionsry, rant, ooatingsnt expanse, inoluiling ir'bight 01) used textbooks,..~~,ooo.~o= 

for the re*psotLve fir041 yenra. 

lo take it to be that tbs rentUs inquirui about 

coo4 wIthin the above itome aa .rent.. 

In Opinion NO, O-3427 this deptwtmcnt advised fou, 

lltb resp4at Co the comtruotloa and opplia8tion of Smnte 

ii111 NO, 266, 48 tb Leqfslature , Ilogular Gesslon, in the 

couru4 of which opinion ~4 atid: 
UoDorablo 600. 11. smppatd - pa&8 4 

l As aatidtopain adndnlmtc~ 

0laim umlm thie leglolation, we ti@ it 

add rurthw that a11 ront*1 agrmD*ats 

ud leame*, whiob bat* not mxpirad proVimlSl;J, Will uatoMtiodl~ tamilute on 

klmmt a& lDI3, the last dy of cho ourreDt bi@lxdam* mm 8uprs* a-0 hu 

rulal that @ho Dtate oumet bo booan up011 

a learn* oontraot that ortads bwoad the 

tw*par period OOWred by the appropriat&CD WdW WhtO& t6atuS thWWtiW U’O 

Port worth Crvalw Clob t. 

;xy:a tea. $30, 83 8. u. (8) 800. 

8bep 

Ttw#refore, ul ot8te depart8mntm rtfmmtod 

by this, lcl&i~l~tioa must wtw late nw 

lea*. agtewsatm to trlre alfeat OD septwbw 1s 1943,* 

ainre you have this opinion, obtlousl~ you bars 

preoeated the dire& question her. us%.?’ oonmidermtion beoauae of doubt am to whether it oaverm the prement mituation, or possibly you reek a rooonsideratioa of the matter 

if it im thet broad. The mttet IS of ioportams, md In 

rler of' the taot that tho above-quoted lmgnage Smm our 

former opition was voluntarll~ ueal, and not in rwponse 

to a dire& quwtion, md in ordfw to rwwe all dubiety 

wrl8tww, we hare @TSD the matter a EW ard lndeperslsnt 

oontxitlration~ 

8mtion 7, Artio1s VIU, of the Constitution de8lorwr 

allo money da811 b,e drfmn from t&w 

tr wl8~ b p t in p utmml~oe f 8peoiflo l p 

propri8tiom a a d8 b y la w; nor sh a ll q 

appropriation o f money bo nde for a long- 

* or tera than tvo pears. l 0 l . . 

PUm two-year perlad begins at the tlno these 

appropriations become aratlcrble, rather than from the 

date OII rhioh the Act beeome8 legally ef?eotire. A general appropriation act bocones BfiectiVe - that iu, existing law -- upon tho day the oame im apptwed by the Goternot, (360. 30, Art. III, Coast.) but such ccnernl appropriations usually PM mailable for the biennium, bedanlnf: SoptatDet 1 thereafter, and eJrtend ror the petitted 

two years. They ate thus valid md ePteot.ioe Isr from the 
852 

i.iOUOrab~O Y.0. 8. SbSppW'd - Pe&O 6 

he0 or thair pcccego and l pprotel, aoootdiaZ; to the&r 

terse, but the ta ms thcccolC l pccliiocll~ fiz the twoyea period for cxpenditnro, co above l tated. 

Fort forth Cbrrlw Club 7. Sheppard, 83 8. I. 

(2) 600, w OUT &lptOEO CWt , OitOd in WI' OflDiOD itOr 

0-8427, held that a rectal lccco bct8ccc the Club cxl 

tho Adjuwt Yenera iO? armly parpemea, tar a term ot 

fir0 you%, wac TO&d es ac.ln~ iD 00ntraTeDticn of the acn- 

~tltuLLoar The five-year tern, under the oontr800, began 

septwlMr 1, l@slr The lemmeo wtwd into poroecclon of 

th0 jWtW&OOO 011 tbt dote, Wd ttl0Frsrtt.t OOOUpiOd the 

same for the easnlng mlr ~onthc - that ic, up to Yaroh 

1, 1938. The Btete paid the ctfgulatcd monthly rental8 

ror the months Of scptatilJet, Ootobet, RorQnber end neeemher, 1831, and J*rmaq end Pclwaary, 1932. lhO80 pe~cnta 

mere made b7 arrrranta drama by tbc Comptroller against the 

appropriation wdc by the 4i!d Lcgielcture tor the Adjutant 

f.icneral,o JJep8rtment, ~hioh approprl8tloa begee, o? Course, 

September I, 1931, and ended At@uct 31, 1933. At tbe time the 

oontraet eat msde tbae wa8 arellable utir the approprlrtlon, 

money citirtcient to pey. the rentals thereunder for the teo 

peata ooveted by much approprlatioar Afts tbc appropriation 

fot th0 year eadi~g Aught 31, 1931, ma8 OXhaUOted, the Qo1~- 

nor apprwcd octtaia dcfioicneiec for the AdLdjutant Oeneral~8 

DepWtWDt, 

Mr. Juctioe Crlta, in vriting the opinion for the 

sup r 50 c o ur t, l 1 36( 

8Tl10 Attorney Ceaeral contend8 that 

tbe Adjutaat Uenerel 808 witheut power to 

aiake a lea80 contraot Tot a period of rite 

Y--D ati, bhatefore, the contract ma, 

and is, illegal. In thio conneotlon, the 

Attorney ocnerill contends that there *me 

no lw, etprosg or implied, in for09 at 

t&b the thta contract ~08 entered Into 

to authorlao lta ttakAagr V0 ate tompolled 

co sustain t%s contention. a l l , 

.ln tho case a?. bar the Adjutant Lienoral *aa limited in his right to contraat to 

ths amount of his qqz@oprlation bill. Ue 

*am also licited by the tern oP such sppro- 
85: 

r;oaorable Gee. il. Sheppud - pago g 

priu#ioa. Uhen Ire attePptckl to go beyond 

the powor. eonferrdb upon him br LOT, ha 

actel without mthorlty of low, und au& 

sot maa and is told and doom not bind the 

state, l l l . 

.1 1t 8 wffio io nt to r a y ua a t the Ba t 

maa not authorirul ia the beginning, md 

the only sot of rrtifioatioa on the part of 

the mgiolaturo ia the l ppropriatioa bore 

undc aoasidar~tloDr The Lqislwuro bad 

no power to rake suoh oppropriatio8 ualoar 

at the very tine it 1as amdo there existed 

aoao ‘pr*oxirtiag laT* authoririnq the 

same. It im o b vlo uChat ~ no l ueh Lor then 

exi6tsd.~ 

no present situation lo controlled by tho Uoeision 

in that casOe ki4WO at tho tiM the k&l'tiX-#OOdSlObOO ~a0 

cxwutcil there ram a.a oxioting appropriation l’rolp rhiah the 

rcntals oould be -0, mhiuh, howover, will expire Anmat sl, 

lQ43. The oontraot , themfore, ostondo beyond the atollablo 

appropriatioa, and 198 thereforo raid, unleo8 eomo valid proexi8ting law authoritod it. Yo quoted in tho boglming OP 

this opinioa those artioler OP the statutes which wore thought 

to liavo axq poseiblo boating upon tho subjwt, and in our opinicn they do not ounctitute pra-erimtiog 14~ neoasm6x-y to t&o 

oreatiunoi a 1irb;Llity ag+alnat tbo Btato. 

You ~0 theretore respeothrll~ wlvleed that it ir 

the oplaion oP tUs department the leeso contraot under conaldorotian ‘la void. War we hare said doos not sffwt tho 

right and rlutr rO8peOting poyrpoat Por the period of time 

prior to September I, 1943. 

Very truly yours