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i OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

J 

AUSTIN 

GROVER SELLERS 

ArrORNEGENERAL ” 

Honomble John II. Winters, Executlw Director 

Departmnt of Public weiram 

Austin, Taxaa 

D8ar Blrr Opinloa So. O-7178 

RO: Oan the Lbpartnmt 0r Publio Welior.8 OF stat0 TW~SWF rkmmh 

numeroue r 

0 tlmo reeeowd 

0r inr0mPti0h 

wd sewral bplllto qmolrio qfmeO-2432, O-3136, 

110 warw~ Aat provl.deu 

r rr618tenae grrnts to the 

pFor idar io par t ë. l . vhen 

a haw beon drava, thay shall 

utiw I)irmtor 0r the Slate 

raw rho Y.n turn @hall mperwry 0r mate4 to the persona entitled thereI( 

l--e 

ooarpllanae uith the provision of the law the 

@aa 8 ante varrants are dellwred by the Exeoutlw Director to the poet 0rrm in Austin for deliwry to the 

reolpieuta, ICeoh month more than tvo hundred thouaand 

or thora wrrant 6 8~ mailed. Out 0r this number, there 

are many ahaoka whleh are not delivered to the recipients. 

Some of th&Pre cheaka are lost due to urromtoua addreaaea 
Hooorabfe J&R B. Winters - Pa85 2 

while others are not delivered teceuw they how bean 

latercapted by sonm p%rsoa not legally eatltled to them, 

the latter Cl885 being t!m aubjeot 0r this opinion. 

“To Illustrate thla, a fav months ago eewral mall 

p0ucih85 WM takea out 0r th5 5mii5. uh5n th5 15511 

powhsr wore recowred approxiautelpthre8 lafwdxwd old 

a&p l 88letance wrrantm, 8016~1 or vhlah had beea opewd, 

mere retwued by the Postal AuthoritiA5 to the brpartment 0r Publla Welfam ror re-mailing. mm5rou5 others 

had be8n opowd and cashed. IO ardor to obtaia al-5 

vhioh mlEplt l8a4 to the appreheaaloa or tha suspect, 

tb~ Po8tal Authoritloo reqwstod lnf0m8tlo5 f'roa th55 

Deportvat about aback8 rblah VON reported to tb Ikpartmeat by the reclpi40t5 a8 not being ~oaeiw4. A 

number of ths aheokm wro endornb au4 oashed. 

"Eaub mOt&h a CLUI&WO of indlNdu*l reaLpl5nt8 report thet theyhaw llotrrcelwd their ehsokr. Upoa 

lvLlcLg lmuir7, it 15 r0tlu4 by th D5parta5rkt that 

arruy or thew aheeka wn paid b7 the State Treasurer 

5Xlegodly on a forged eador5oaeut. uben those tbrt8 

era reported to tb8 P05Ul AuthoritLo8, they mqu8ot 

thb mp8m5nt to r~~rh phat0.5tatie 00pi85 or tb5 

woraut 8 lorolved. Ordluily t’b pmrclolr r* 

p" 

rting 

the theft i8 the nolpieat or 8owow direct y lotem1IEed in tb realpierrt. TINI Portal Authoritirr UIUBI~~ h8~ tb full it85btb or tm wapiee, tb a8t3upt 

of ths cheek, the addr~oe OS 6ho realpleat, the approxlmBt0 date 0r irrw or th5 abecrk, alad u55511y th5 0555 

ata4 wamant mmtber5. The iufomtlon t&o P05tal Authorit3.e~ •~ seeking 18 the iuromtiaa oocatalwd ou the 

rowrw rldo oft& uheok, 1ruuly,th8 5igmtura arid 

the plaas ohor8 the &oak vaa endormd or p5%d. This 

lnformatioa 18 rought for the urpo5a of making mh:lnw5tlgat10n relatiw to ttx+ al % gsa thsst from ths nmi.18 

an4 for pro5eouting the ratin. Somal.Iy the oaly purporn that the photostatle copy Would wrw 15 a5 mutiowd above) haww~, if it 8boold beem tmae5tury 

to uw the warrant or to subpew& the r4wiptent iato 

Court, the PostalAuthoritie5 al50 va5t to ttre the inromaatlo5 ror thaw purpOl~8. 

"In reaent months ths Fontal Ittapectorr haw reqmatsd m5wrou5 pboto5tstic oopzm 0r &woks. lm5d up00 the 

opinions from your off ice rhish are Ushe& abow, tha IIsptu+meRt ha5 4eCllW4 to furnlrh the #XOtO5t8tie BOpi55 

. 
*tin th5 raolpieat h55 reaeiwd the benefit5 horn hie 

check. We hrrc been iwQu58tea by the Poetal Authoritlea to 8ub5lt um55 fact5 and to mqwmt your oplaion relative to the disclosure of mf’orwtion Prom OUT 

records either by this apartmeat or the State Treaeurrar 

for ths purpowa llatsd hereia, and they have agreed to 

1lmlt or nstr~ot hb u55 of tha rotmrds, ii 55&5 Wallable, to tba uses or purposes whioh you aonsider ulthin 

th5 pur~imt 0r th5 5tmd55. 

'In your optnlon, would it be ulthln tbs purvlev or 

tb 8tAtute8 ror ths DspArtwat or Public Wsliare or the 

State Treasurer to turai5h the Postal In 

statto eopios of varraatr wherein it 15 

th5 w*rraats were nc& d5lIvamd to tha right ul ~OlpApO5D&tO15at upon being plmed ia thu maflat 

Vr, in your opiaioa, u-40 nspartmsnt or Public wslfers mar wleass SW& plroto5t4tle 00ple8, 8hould the 

Departims~t furnish t&o55 *oto5tat5 routlaely when requested to do 80 by the Port41 Inigctors, or should 

th5 Dspartwat aoaslder tba raqtmst on aa iadlvgdual 

basis lo tier o? the cir5ra5t4m058 under which ths recipleat fabled to rsce2w his abok? 

*If, la par opintoa, the photo5tats may be nbasott 

to th5 Postal fa5peotar5, 3.5 this th5 extent of tb5 laforrmrtlon uhlch should be furnished, or should th5 -part5mt upon Tswipt 0r th5 individual ruauest fuvnish cay 

other ovallabl5 information rrom our reoorda pertaiauag 

to the loss or tha shock, I.e., the 50pias of ths Affldavlt signed by the reoipioat to the 5fi5Ot that th5 

oheok vas not recolwd or eadorwd by hlBI, or 5u5h Inrormstlon as the pmmaat address of th5 naipieat? 

"Ii this Inrormtion mm be re&alled to t&s, are 

there to b5 say reatriotloas, to be pla5eU on the u5e 

of the rsaord b the Postal Authorlti5s'l In other wards, 

art5r the Po8ta f Authorities rraefw th5 *oto5tatio’oopy 

of the ehmk 3r tba copy of the affMa?lt or AaT otBbr infomtloa from the Department relatiw to the check, aan 

the mformetion be ueed in a Court proaesding for ths pro5WUtkXi Of th5 5U5pCt? 

%~ur coo5idwa~tloa and optaion of thrr*timrs aoaCaLned Ln this reqwst will be apprmlated.~ 
Moaorsble John H. Wlatera - Page 4 

The soelal Security Act, &2 U.S.C.A. 559, aactioa 302, 

provJ.das in partz 

pavrawat themto, the Texan statute, &t!.cle 6y5a. aeat1on 33, V.A.c:a. provitlea in partr 

atate mw!tlprnt . rot- say 

peraaa or pGnow to solicit, disolo&, reaeik, mrheUM of, OP to authorIm, luwviagljr permit, prrttaip*te 

la, or mzquleaae I.0 the uae at, aaj list of, or awwa 

of, OP say iaforaPatioa coacffraIa3, pwwan rpplyla3 for 

OP reosiolag such aasl&aaee, d%rootly OP iadirectly derived from the raaordu, gape~a, fL.lae, or aoawalaat~oae 

of the state Departmeat or l ubQi*ieionr or amnaiea themof, or aoqulred ia the oouree of the pimhrmcms of offiolal duties.” (ltmphaslr Wed); 

3ectiou 26 provide* ia part* 

“All osaia:ama 

IJhx 

ym5ata provided for uader the 

terms of this Act 1 be paid by vouahere or varr8ata 

. . . Whoa such vouchers or uarraats have beea drawn 

It ia settlrsd that a statuta will be construed with raference to iza general purpose snd the sac+ or ob,bjects aought to be attained, 3~ !ikx. Juria, 217, Sectioa UC?. 
Honorable Joba & Waters - P8m 2 

Certainly a paramouat aad prlmrg objective of the 

Federal aad State at8tuteo Is the payment of fuade to quallfled 

recipients of Old Age Asslstmce. Such paymeat me, vlthout 

questloo, dIractly coaaeated vith the 8QmlnIstratIoa of O~UI Age 

Aesletance 1~s. Any interferewe vith delivery of 8uch payments ia aecesacrlly an Intsrferenae uIth the rdnialatratloa 

of Old Age Aaelstaaae 18vr. We uoaolude, then, tb8t the Departmerit of Public Welfare or State Trwsurer my furolati the 

Postal Innpectors vlth photostatlo copier of varmats allegedly 

aot delivered to the reclpleat, or vhiab rlleegpsdly have beea 

stolen or I’ve the recipient’s amm for&red thereon. 

The Departmeut of Pub110 Welfare aad State Treesurer 

shoald not releese such photostatlo oo %eamw e astter OS routlm, 

for an ve aoid la OUP Opiaioa Ho. O-63 s 0, . thla depcrtmeat, 

by Its opInloar, has terloualy gumded the c&deatIal a8tara 

of thl8 Iaforutioa.” It I8 0uF oplaiea tht the Dspartswmt of 

~ublio Welfare Sad Btate Tre8sarer should oonsider eaah reqaest 

oa 86 IadIoZdoal baais ,la view of tha olraumatanes uwler vhlah 

the reclplent fallad to reoelw hlo varrmt. 

Slnae the prowcutloa of those IaterSering with tha 

delivery of said paymeuta Is ,dIrectly coaneated with the admIaIstratloa of Old Age Amiataaee lava, It fo1knr8 tht tb 

DspaPtmnt Of PubliO Welfare mad State ~88UE’Ol’r~ rurnllh, 

on the asrits of each ltdIrIdu81 reqaeat from the Pmrtel X&5 

apeatore, aay other Iaform%tlon pertaialag to the lo8a of iald 

werreat ia order that those Snterferlag vith suoh delivery may 

be proseouted. 

The Poatal In 

T 

ctors are plaIaly restrioted by 42 

U.S.C.A. 559, Seatloa 30 , to the uue of 8ald laformatlon for 

purpose8 dimatly coaaeoted vlth the admIalrtrrtIoa of Old A@ 

Asslstaaoe laws, which lnformatloa, Ia this 8psOIfia iastaaes, 

is given to sald Iaspeators to u8e rolely ror tha purpose 0r 

Iaveatigtiag aad proseoutIa$ those vho slle3edly hve stolea 

said varraats or hew forefed the reclplentta ~WW thereon. 

Sinae t&s uw of this iaformtloa i8 given the Postal 

Inspectors for the purpo8e of lave8tigrtloa Sad prosecutloti, it 

mey certainly be used by them in Court proasediags against said 

v10lat0rs. 
that I 

It Is, therefare, the opImIon of thin depwtwat 

(1) The Dspartrment of Pub110 Uvlfam or 3tate Zrv~rurer my Zurn%ab photostat10 copier of vrrrartta aad otbr direotly 

pert:aMt inforavtloa to tlM Perta Iwpeotorr vwa ttn nolplerrt 

hea l l&@vdly net reaelvod raid vbrmnt u&es ulroQ&mieo8 Indi6Wirrg theft, for&ety or fraud. Ba 6h wq ua lt fo xl - uo h a fo r - 

motion mwt be ooneldend~oa OE l~lrldu81 brai* and dwuld bu 

g lwa o nly under prop er olrOtmntowe8, l e indlo&tod r ltp n.