### OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY **GENERAL** 

### OF TEXAS
AUSTIN!I I

### &+norablo



## John 8. Rudd,p-c s



### ma a prior-aanlco



## annuity **towhlah hir**  **ondltabl.o** aorvio~ 

### ana membership

in the 

### T8aahar

Rotiment SYBtsl ontitled

hipl **under** 

### the provIaion5~of.tbla

### Aat.*
SUb8OctiOn

3 cOntrOla

thb queat~on

aa to when a dieabflity

r6,lraent IS to b5 made,tbaf 16, frOm thirtyto ninatip daysnert SollowIng the filingof ths aQplIoation. subration 1 governa when the ntlmant owe aboutby ~~8011 

### of $ho tsacher*a

havingmiohed thr l 

### g8 of alxty 

### yearaaad 

### havj.qg the twentyJama*.arrviaq moord. ti that oaae the 

### retinmrnt bsoomoa

arfeotlvr

at 'the on6 of the ourrmt ash001 P-a 'Ilh0

airr0rwe thus

### ma0 LB a moat. wuril MS. m8 advent of **phyaioU** 

### or men&l diaabillty take8 no l 

### ooount of my nna for:

the teaohar

to finIahout the aahool yeam Under mbaoctlon 

### 4, if the tmoher who 18 thusbeinks rotIre&

on l

### o**aount** 

### of aIaabllIty la sixtyyeara 

### of a&e or ls0r5 hla illowano5 will ba 88 

### for ar~loe rrtirsmmt. 

### A5oorbislgly your firat pu88tiao.ia 

### anawc+8a 3.n thr 

### 8rrimrtiv~.

w@ no* p#tDS

to I COB8idW'diOB



### Of yb\rr

86MBd 

### QU88- tIOB. Xotiagin pertto\ilar tbs laat manteioe

of wbaaotlon 1, la a man who 

### attUna aavonty yam8 

### of a60 

### subject to 

### tha provlaI0n 

### In tha IamodI5tely p*Dcteding

55ntowe rslativa

to ro

### tiremant

beingaffaOtiv5

as of tha 55d Of the ourmnt aehool year?,Or,do08 theprwlaioa thatha shallba retindi

## aforthwi#n ueut thatha shallbe rstlmd at oaaaupon r5aohiB(1 the we of aava5ty, 

### whetheraohoolla In l ea aIo~ 

### or a&?
Theword Yor$hwIth*haa n6 wall d~fiaad meaning. UUle it boos 

### not naooaaarily amn inatmtaneau8ly or st e time 

### IameQiately

auoowlingdthout an Interval(A&arson ta. 

### Ooff,1s Pao. 19, OaL; Luoaa~5~ katera Union,109 **H.W.** 

### 19S, IOwd, it do86 5dGu 

### to ha08a 

### nom matrioted BleardUg th5namaaoneb15tIa5*aa that tern 

### Is ordizurily una, bownr va.Atkinaaa, 

### 148 8.1. 78,Ho. App. FromAztetia ?a. 

### Woloh, '?S

S.W. 881, Sdo.

Antonio

Oourtof UirilApperla, 

### 10 quoter
~Ihi5brlngaua to th5 55aoadqueatfon In the @a@@--
was 

### themortgage

Sorthwitb

deposited

with and 

### riled In th5 Offlobor the otxmtyalark? Za Xaeknay v. Sahow (F5x. Div.App.) 53 f&W. 914, In aonsld5ring themaanlngof 

### tlm word *forthwith*

aa used $n Rw. St. art. iSW3,the aouxt aayaa 

### *lhetam 

### *forthwith* is 

### an Ymporativiterm, aad: owtainly admits**of** 

### no uIumof6aary drla~,~ Yr. Wibbater t:;yt;,e tom aa maaniag inoaiatelytnithoutdelay;

Bouvlerr

4As 8ooa a8 the thingmy 60 donebyRonorable Johns. Rudd, Page 4

reasonable exertion confined to that ob,jeot." Hr. Rapalje and Mr. Blaok also give this definition, substantially. * * * 980. 8 Am. & Eng. Enc. Law,, p. Bll, and notes, the term being thus defined in the text as meaning 8immediately; within reasonable time; with all reasonable celerity." Indeed, as was said by our Supreme Court in the opinion by Chief Justioe Gaines In the aase of Baker Y. Smelser, 88 Tex. 2.6,29 S.W. 377, 33 L.R.A. 163, the term "has been too orten construed to require dlsouss~on." It will be suff'icient to say that in the
ease clted.the term, as used in our ohattel mortgage statute, was defined to mean,"with all reasonable diligence a& dispatch.**"

nForthwlth,W as used in statutes regulating official duties, has generally b&i oonstrued as meaning that the duty in to be performed proi!i@f&y and with all oonvenient dispatch, but this requirement is &lways modlried br the oiroumstanoeta **and** the nature of the duty to be p8rfOrXQ8d. Gum vs. LanUq 87 M.W. 999, N. Dak:; ldofrat YB. Diokson, 3 Colo. 313;

Does the use 

### 0r the wrxd "forthwith in aaid last eentenoe or subsection 1 mean anything? If'that 

### word had **been** left out retirement would be as of the end of’ the aurreat sohool

We believe it was inserted ror cane rea8on.F If it haa ~~~&aning at all it Is that the retirement will be effeotive immediately,without regard,:to the time the sohool year is to endi If the retirement oomes at a time when it would aerlouuly arieat the welfare of the schobl, a remedy le. provided, he may remain In service with the approval of the employer. We therefore hold that a teacher who has attained the age or seventy years may b8 retired at any time during the sohool year, in
answer to your seoond question.

Vie will now oonoern ouraedxes with your third question. It is mad8 olear in more than one plaoe that tyenty Or more year8 of prior oreditable eervloe on the part Of a teacher is a requisite to his retirement on dieability allowanoe. Derinition (24), Seotion 1, R,B. 1016; subseotlon 3, Seotlon 2. id. '~Th@ only oth8r~'requlrement for a man to draw service retirem8nt benerits other than to beoome silty years of age is that h8 have the twenty years prior SerViOe reoord. Derinition (ZS)i Se&ion 11 Seotion 2, subsection 1.

From a reading 0r the Aat as a whole we are oonVinoed that it is oontemplated that members who have attainsd the age of sixty years, if retired, shall be awarded serviO8