OFFICE OF THE AITORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Q-C.YU(I( 

A-o- 

, P! 

Cawdttee appobted Dy 

oxrs,amlalfJo~Dill 

suppliel for sala cax5tttee, 

oin is dravn agal.rlst n deflcionay 

6hO amme of $2*OQ0.00 iwantcourt Dy the Omurnor as a 

suppleilrsnt to the spprop%ation mmtod by the 

Regular 80sdom of the Fortydtb Lo~ul~tOre, 

fowxl at gage 4bd, Aoto of tho Re@lor Sosdoo 

of the Fortpuixth Leglslaturo, aad dodgnatod 

0s itun la. The agproprtAtion oarriw, La 

fads dopwtzrent, appropriation nud.mr A-Bi 

Vou will notMe that this clain aurioa 

&De apporal of Xionortilo dobn iI. shptp, dsm- 
l&a, ObOm Ee SDeppmd - Ago 3 

oiate Jwtioe of tD0 3upmzn Court, anC tho ap 

prwol of Uooornblo Btcbar~? Crftz, rtenoaiote 

Justloe of tho 3~~000 Court. TDo clain op 

pears to bb roglllar Lo wary rofipoct, except 

it do06 not carry the apprwn1 cf the ctato 

BOerd Of CG?ltt'Ol iOr WCh ~Chr;CaS. 

"I rrls0 oa11 your sttentioa to tho &lar 

to the sp~opriation Dill, fonar; on me 408, 

wDnoation D, under Beotion 4 of tha above 

dWOrlb~ed Lot, WhhD reads I {All pinting pnd 

stntionr~~ uhall Do purahnsed through t.ho xoard 

of Control and ahall be ooonfiwd to such aFtiales ard quality au selobtbd mxl contraato& for 

Dy the Board of Control.' 

Whlmrlqmrt~td~emy~opl~onu 

to ulIother 910 are mltlloriwd to iemle aarraat 

in paymbatof t‘hlm slaila+ithoutitanrrfing 

thu appwal of chf3 iiicard of Coaatrol.m 

Your roquuest rxosonta 0 quo3flon of first hpomioa in thie dqmWmnf SO &w aa our investigation 

has disolosod, uml one of no littlo im~artrmcs. 

Qe hwo ewerol tism witton oplnlons upoa 

the relative pwors of the sosud of Ccntrol 3nd Other d3- 

pnrtwnts anri institutiona of t?lo State, alth respect to 

purchasing suppll3s, oquipmnt , and the like, but no ewe, 

wo boliero, haa bean prorentod wltich oallod for [UI opinion with rss?emt to tho l'elativo rf@ta of tbo Sup'eme 

Court nnci tbo uoarcl of Control in respect to web mattars. 

Section 21 of Artl.cl3 WI cf th3 Constitution Is 

OS fo110nsr 

gAl1 stationery, and printing, oxoapt 

proall?Jl?.e9ians and such @.nting 39 my to 

dono at the &MU aal hrab A6Jluz1, ppm, 

amI tuc31 used in the frs,giislatiro aud other 

depnrtmats of tha gomrnoont, except t&o 

JudiCiSl De~nwmt, ahall b0 Curnisb3d, rind 

the pintin% aad binding of the lap's, jourIlale, and dupnrtmnt roporta, and 911 other 

printing and binding ati the repairing and 

furniohisag tho hzlle an& row used Car the 

aostings OS thn Legidature nnd its cop- 
. . 

xoae uao. x. Sheppard - pago 3 

zdtteos, shall De partorrad urnor oonfrrbt, 

to be &on t0 the lowe8t rwponoible Diddar, Delm euchmuimm p-toe, and under 

such X%gUlatiOIIs, as oholl'be prosoribedby 

.la8. HO lmmbur or otiica of uly departmoat of the gmornaemtobrrll be in any m 

imtarostefi in such contrasts; tunl all suah 

ooatraots t3hall be subjoat to the apprwal 

~mpw~yornor, Merotary of State old Camp 

ODvlously, statutes upon the subjeot.oS put 

chases * the Eupreme Court have no oontrolliag aftaot, 

U&tgy ure in riolatlom of aq ooa6titutional pthi- 

. xhe almy o#nloam we luY0 mtton upon the 

uuDjeat or tho relative rights of the Ward of Co&r01 

and other departmmt43 ahd inatitutione of the State - 

motabl7 Opanion Ho. O-880 nod OpLaion No. 01;?813, have 

oon8trwd otatutom vhiah were not la naywise contriwy to 

any oomstAtlltiomalprovioiom. 

Uo, thoroforo, look to a00 if Section 31 of the 

Constitution above quoted applioe to thin ease. 

On the uhol.:,, the Soctlon duals pith tho broil 

subjodt oP fUrniabl&~~stationory, Finting, -per and fuel 

uwd in the legislotivo and othor dspartmonfs of tho Govoruvmat, oxOept the judioial'(1~partmOnt, ati requires tho plrchmving of such things from tho lwoet rooponeible bidder. 

w0 t!aink this pTl6ion is self-onaotirq am& meodn mo omabliug statute, save only perhaps, in regard to miuimm 

lxloor; Qmlt?r suoh roylationa OS shall bo ~nMsariE8d by 

law .' 

This eeotioa 0xgmssll oxoopts from itu operatiom, hovevor,*the judicial dopartPent*. Slaao the seotion deals with tha broad eubjeot of PchasOm them nati, 

and alnoo it epe~ifi~ally tmmpte tbOrOfmu tho judicial 

dopartmnt, 80 construe it as Conf'Orring upon the judioial 

do pclrhaat -- by impliaation but nevsrtheloes affirmtivo-. 

1Y - the pousr to u&o such purahasoe as are m&raced 

ir~thiu the sootion of its own vill, and rithout rtioronao 

to competitive bi&Ung, or notion by nny other departmnt, 

whothor leglelotiva or other. 

From this it follows that the apprwal. by the 
noa. UOO* Ii. shoppard - Pqgs 4 

6U&PePe t%Wt Of pu‘OhW48 inad OJ it, OP ll&%er it8 

authority, for ~80 of the S7apamo Court in atw of itv 

Arnctions or rativitloe, iv ~12. t&at is roquirod to 

authorbe you to issue a VU%mt for payment Out 0P 

any ;lubUo f+unfl aYailebloPor such pupee. 

8hottm.r a fund ie attil.3blo for auab purpws, hova7er. dependa upon vhethec a? not there has 

btoa 0 lOgi6llrti7iJ a~OpF%QtiOn Of ¶i0#10V iOr v~Uh 

The superior right of the Supreua Court to 

Et2z:kaotcl) eucil 98 ue a-3 here dlecusoing, dow 

not wary vlth it the Surther rl@t to deemnd or z-eceae payuant to 007er euoh 0ontraot or prchasb8, 

whom the Lo&ialimreh~ootvMe a spvciflo nppnr 

piation theroior . 

The Colaet.%tution, Article VSXI, seotioa 6, 

deolareac 

'no money shall be drawn from the 

troesury but ia pureuanoe of ep3c:flo 

ep&WOpri8tiOIlr, lrpd0 b ;r 1eV) l l av 

nom 13 of tha appropriation for the Suprvmo 

court, 08 ooatdncd in u. 1). no. 387, ysrsmd by the lest 

l,egisl;ltura (Spoinl Lavs Tams, Vol. 2, p. &a) is as 

r011ovs: 

@For erpansoa to bo inhurred For the poaro isndhg 

by fills SuprCM QNlrt in m-t 31, Awiust 31, 

putting into offact the 1040 1941 

nulrt-naking Fov0r Aot, 

~0~643 bill ~0. r~s, n9gulap session, Party-sixth 

LogielcAturs, incl~~ 

all expenses that aby be 

inourrad by fhe Suprome 

Court in appointing oe 

r;ittooe, paying the expens08 of aucb oomdtt0Os~ 

postage, pioting, etonographic aamioea, andany 

and all othsr 3Xp3MssS ineluding meoorol~, oe nay be 

d&wnAnod by the SuvJcourt) proCdad that iC the 

supram court shall appoint 
49 

non. 080. ii. Ghoppard - page 5 

auy ccmlttes oi attomn3ys 

to aseist it in dravlng 

auoh rules, tho Court my 

pay the uml3l orp3nsse of 

such comlttee, or axg mmher thoroot, vhll:, amy 

frmhcm,but ohall xiot 

pay tuq momb8r O? such uomxltte3, may salary or cop 

p~ation eor his ~3171068 @,500.00 $2,600.00" 

The rldw to .ihe Ap-$wpriatlon Bill (H. B. lo, 

257) quot8d by you to tho 3es06t Dall pr.lnt%ng end otatioacry &all b8 grchnmd through th Eonrd of Control, and 

shall be wufined to ouch articles and quality 0s aaloot 

ed aad oontraathi for by the Board of Control,* is not 

mndatury, but on the contrary is directory only. In 

other words, the word nshalla is to be oonetrued as 'CXL~. 

This oonstruotion ot the rider is permlseiblo under vollestzxblished rules of etatutory aonstructlan. Litsr3liem 

vtll be i~W&i shen to Solloo it vi11 do oiolenoe to tbo 

.pla.ix Lxtention of the LoglsJature. To ?dve the rider 

tha ottaot followk~g a litem construction of the rldor, 

vould neeesaarily haye one of two offcctr, that is, the 

rider itself ;rould ho stricken out as being repugnant, to 

jhe otwious intent to anti a -ralid appropriation, or it 

would fall for constitutional invalidity ae 501~: in vlolntlon of Oection 21, Articls ULI, above quoted. 

To construe tbo rider ae boinc, r:iroctory ia a 

reoooneble construction and PmddJrs tL:, ome a valid ifiovieion. To exmpt the judicial de:mtzcnt fsm the con8titut;ional roquiramnt of oontract for 9rintinF: and 

etotfonory, aa p,Qvided in.liect,icn 2l'oi" &ticle X71, 

doee not wecooout tho eowts fron: voluntarily -hasing 

their prIntin!; and stationery throuxh the hoard cf Control. ~ndoec;, it la our informtion tbnt the Suprem 

Court itself in mmy lnatancea ) nti pcrhnps East instances, 

&OeB Dlakt3 its purcl3nsos thr0uq.h the Board of Control for 

conqeaienoe sata, and a8 e. mtter of possible ooonorj. 

The rider should be conotruti as authorizing tho Board 

of Control to xako such purchases and contract nlion and 

ii the courte 80 request or op30. 

'Lho sp30ieic appro7i9ntlon for the eiaaal year 

0-w .-gust 31, 1040, bne beun oxb:watcd, md, 3s you 
non. 000. tl. Sheppard - pga 6 

state, tho Govarnor has approved a daftcicncy claim 

upon tho application ot tho Supmaw Court In the cum 

or Q2000.00, 77hhh 0~0 was OX~~OSE~Y for uso during 

thttt riecoi pm. 

There ie therefore no available fund for 

the payment of thim claim, and vi11 not be until the 

Legisloturo has made an appropriation to m8ot the 

Gwernor~s deflciono~ ollwanoe. So that, in anjr 

wont, tha most that OM nor be done 18 to issue the 

ueual aab ordinnry dofioioncy vu-rant, payable only 

when and ii tho Loglsloture heroafter makea an appropLation thereor. 

Vary truly yours 

ATTORXZX GSH3ML OF TEX#I 

w %& Aesista