Honorable Chas. A. Tosoh Comty Auditor Records

Building Dallas,Texas

Dear Mr. Tosch! opinion lie. o-6276 Rer Effective

date of the conetitutional amendmeet rkmntly 

### adoptea, and the necessity

for en enabling

act,

We beg to aoknowledge reoeiptof your letterrequesting LLP opinion fran this department upon the above captioned subject

matters a8 follows:

"At the generalelection Bovember

7th the amendment to Sectionp of &tide 8 of the Constitution, as proposed in House Joint Resolution Ho, 18,. passedby the 48th LegisIsture, 

### appeara

to have been adapted by a majorityof the votes cast tberem, and queetlon hae arisen (a) As to when saia amndmsnt will beocme effective, tib (b) Uhetber

### or not an Enabling

Aat of the Legislature la necessaryto set up the maohinsry

for puttingthe emerdmnt in effect In the respective

counties

asairing

to avail t?xm3elves of the privileges

of the miendnmnt.a
Article

XVII, Section 1, of the Conatitntion, with respeotto the mode of 

### amerraing

the

### Constitution, providesthat!
*

. . . It ehallbe the 

### aaty of the never81returning officers

of 

### ma election,

to open a poll for, 

### ma make returnsto the Secretary of State, of the nmber of legal 

### v0tee cast at said election 

### for 

### ana winat said 

### amendment; and if more than one be proposed, then the number of votes cast for and age&et each 

### of them; an& if it shall appear from said return,that a majorityof the vote8 cast have been aast in favor of eny amendment, the said emmQment 80 receiving

a majorityof the votes cast ahr;ll~~~~~*~WXt of~thi.m‘0a@$tuticm, amI proaleuaation

shallbe made by the Govenmr thatiof."
Artitde3034 of the Revi8ed civil Statutes ie (LB follmmr

### ’ -

Honorable

Chas. A. Tosoh,page 2 (O-&78)

"On thefiite~thbayaftartbeo~ati~, tkeQayof election



### excluded,

aadnot 

### before,

the Wont&&of Btate in the presence

of the Governor

cmb Attarne~

@emnl, or in case of vaoaney in eitherof said **offiew,.** wr of inabilityor failure

of eitherof eaid offleon te sot, then in the presence

of eitherone of thap, ehallogen -a count the retmma of the election.*
This Articleaa a eequenee of Article 3033,faanlehes the amwer to your firet queetim.

The effective

&ate of the awndment if oarried6oee not bepend upon the Govellaor'a proolamation,Thie was aetezmined by Judge Will~s~n of the Court of Criminal Appeals,

wherein

he said%

'our ocmdruotion Of this provieioll ie that it xe the ascertained

majorityof the vote of the peoplei01 not the proola&sU 

### of the Governor, which girti ioroo,raiL effect to the mendment, e
. . We are of the,epirptort;therefore, that 88 80011.

aa the eleoticm



### returna

wem 0auraBw&, an& it
was aeoertalned

that a urjority

### of the vet4r cast were in favor of the amendment, itbeoeam a part of the Con@titnticm,

### and was In full force and 

### effeot frm &at date.“ -- Wilacmv. The Slate, 15 Tex. Ct. Appsr Rep, 150.
JuQeUllleon~e opinicmwae eitedwith appxwti ia~xas Water& Ga@ Co. v. City of Cleburne, 21S.Y. 393.

Your seeon& questicminvolves a cowtxuutimm 6flLJ.R. Ho. I.8proposing the amendment.

H.J.B.BO. 3.8

fe 88 folkuer
'seetiom

1. %at Seation 9 of Article 8 of the Coaaatitutim

of the State of Tsus, be EO e&end04that the wane wil2 hereafter read aa follow8

* 'Swtion 9. The State tax csproperty, excluafve

of the tax neceeeary to w *a pabllo debt, end of the taxesprovidedfor the benefit of the public free aohoole, ehallnever ameed thfrty-five

(35) cents on the we hum&we&dnllars whation; and no oownty,oitr or taun 8hblLlevy
mom than.

twenty-five

(25) 0ents 

### for oity or oountyparposes,

end not aroseding



### fifteen(15)‘ oents for roaae and bridgee,arril not exobeding fifteen (~)oente to pay ju+ewe, oathe ~ehun-Honorable Chas. A. Tomb, page 

### 3 (0-627 ’ 3)

&ed dollarsvaluation, exoeptfor tke.,&~~~~&t of debts 3mmrred prior to the adoptlcn~.of fhe Amendment Septemiber

25, 1883; cprb

for the.

ereetlcmof pnbliobulldIng, etreet.s, mwerm, watmworbs and other pemaanentirppnnnmente, not -to ~exossdtwentyfive **(25)** oents on the one hundreddouM mAaation, in any one pees, and exemptau ln In thin Conatitntian

~othemriee~provldedt



### proMed~,homrer, that 

### theaaalBniannrn court.in

roy:~oQlJu~~w~

reallooate

### the foregolng 

### oatmty taxer by ahenging the rates 

### provided

for 

### any af the f0rug0lng

### pmpose8by either. lnoreau~ or. deoreuing the fame, but in no event 

### shalLt2m total oi rU.,~forego~ county taxee exoeed el@tJ (80) oentn aa,the cm0 hundreadollara

mJ.nation,

In q Qle yearJ provided further,

that b&ore the eaid~Qcmtlrionere Courtmy make euah re-allooati0nc.:~,.oh~e In aaia 

### oounty

tmes that,the

taame nhall br ru~tted. to the qnaiifiea

property

tax wiry ~rotezv of amh oomty at 

### a generalor speoi~l rlsotion,



### and ehallbe approved

by a majority,ofthe qued.iil~b~ prop¶rtytax pByln& rotErB, ~votjgg

.h euoh BlBotl~j anb, 

### poriaed further, 3h~t if e+d whun ewh Malboaticms and ah-6 in the 

### aiOrW*id 00rmtq twee have been appromd by the qt~llz,be4 property tax pegins vat~rn of MJ ommty, u ,horeb 

### pm~ldnb, euah re4lloo8tfaM ,ti ah-r uhal romafn is forae and effeot for 

### a period of osx (6):y&~~ frm the date of the eleoticm at whioh the ICED,

shallbe approvea,

unleslr the mme again shalLban been ‘~ ohmaged

by a majority

rote **oi fhe**  **quallfiorb. pro~~rtf**  **tax paylug**  **Toter9 of**  **suoh oouutg,**  

### rot~'m **the** propoeitlon,



### sPter enbmlnalorr by fAm Ocmlrelonera Court at a general



### or epeolalebotian ior’tkatpurpoet aa the ~egi~lst~~ mfby 

### 8ai0 ~nthsrrzu0

an abditlonal

cumual ad vdlorcaa

tax to be loviedand oolleoted **for** the 

### f

’ nrther malntan~~e OS%ho pub110 roads; protidaa, that B msjarit7 0f thy a\arluiua proprty iax gcyw Yatnre of thu 00ludy TatbAg rrt an eleotlon

to be held for that .pnrpwr &all vote euoh tax, not im exoeed fifteen (53) oentm cp the oue hundreddallmm ratitlon oi the poQorty subjeotto tsxatienin rnoh oounw~ && th* Legislature

**may paw**  **load lawn**  **for t&3**  **abintenanoe** of the publio roada aa6 hiehwaya, witboot the looal notice required

for epeaial

or local.

kwr. TM6 aeotlcmehallnot be oonatrued aa o UmltMloxk of- -.._

Haoreble Chaa. A. Toosoh, page 4 (O-6278)

powersdelegated

to counties,

eftlee or tihls by any other sectian or sections

of.%ie Ccmetitution.

' "

You are respectfully advised *at it is the opinionof this department the foregoing smendment

is self-executing,

and there is no necessity for
an enabling

act by the Legielature to put it into effectaccording to ite tenus.
The mended aec$.i,on itselfspecifically sets forth the method for making the amendment effective

In the following

language:
I,

. . .j providea

Wther, that before the said Commissionerd

Courtmay make auch.re-allocations end changes in said oounty,t+es'that the same &all be submitted to the qualified

propertytax payingvoters of such county at a gene+ c'r

specialelwtior.l,,and shall be approved by e. majority of,&e qu&lified,propertg tax paying voters, voting in such e&ection;,sn&, provided

Further,

that if and. when swhre-alJ.ooations aa Ghangee ,$n

the aforesaid count? +axeuhave.,peen approved

by the qualified

property tax payingvoters of eny ootity,as herein provided, such re-allocatfontl

and changesshall remain in force and effect for a period of six (6) years from the date of the election ant which the same shallbe approved,uuLeea the same again shallhave been changed by a maj-prity

vote of the qualifies property

tax payir+g

votera of such county,votingon the proposition,

after submission

by the Cammissioners Court at a general0.:

specialelection

for that purpose;

. . ." Therq is e,

prwiaim t%e,

t ,tb* Legislature

may also authorize an aaditionalad valoremtax be leviedand coLlected ?or the'fur+&er

maintenance

of the public roads,but this is beyond the matter :ou inquire about.

Yours very truly
ATlW.XEYGIlXERALOFTEXAS

os:mr:jm BY Oeie Speer Aesiatant

APPROVED BOV 21, 1944
/e/Carlo8

C. Ashley

FlRSTASSIS!EMT AlTORNEYGENEBAL APPRiNED OpinionCommittee BY m Chairman