OFFICE OF ‘WE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

iionorable John 3. Rudd,. w b A&.ng Director 

Teacher Retlranent Systm OZ fexas 

Aumiln,. TeXUS 

Dear Slrt oplnlon Ro. O-4072 

Rcr Contributtons received by 

Te8chor R&lrement System 

after retirement or member. 

wehave reat3lved your letter of Ootober 6, 1941, '%I 

which you aek~vhetht+~ thd Tdlloving regulation paseed by the 

Board of Trustee8 gf the Teacher Retirement Sgst.em 2s D propor 

one. 

%ontr'ibut:Gns rece2ve.d by,the R&tixmient System for the account of i% ‘iember subrequent to the 

effect2ve &to oT.tuch.nenMr@e retirement shall be 

returned to, such-mnkm and ahall not be included 

ea part of- such membor’e annuity remmve.” 

Seation 5,~Subaectton 3 of the Tescher R+lrtnmnt L.mt 

“2. Allovance for.Serv2ce Retirenwnt. Upoxi 

mtlmrmat for service. a rmmber’ shall~ .reze2y3~ 0. 

sorvlce ret1rsim0nt allovanas cozifJ2atln&~o$,;al8tambelc 

ahlp ,‘aiinulty,. Wch hall be the aotunrlal. equlxalent 

of ‘hi8 p+tmbership annuity. re8erv~, rind i. pr,2or-rsr 

vloe annuity to 3iich hla oreditable swrvlce and awnbernhip. in I&+ Tsaoher Retirement Syafxq ,~entitle? him 

under the prov2sions of th2s fic t l y . . .:‘I ; 

der2v~~a~~:s mesberohip annu2t.y ~eseGe shall by 

“(1) 32s mxumulntad contributions credited to 

his account in the Teacher Saving Fknd at the tine sf 

mtlremmt; and 
Honorable John 3. Rudd, Jr., ?~ii;e 2 

"(2) An addltlonal JM ircmr the State UmberAccuPnrlation Fund equal to the accmulsted $-+- ~___ ._ _ _ ~_ ._ 

tr1but1on5 prov1.ded by the !aaswr 111 SUrl5eCclon (1) 

of Pmagraph (a) of thla Subaeotlon. ' 

The validity o? the re&atlon nece88srll~ depends upon 

the mean2ng of the word8 "credited to h28 aocount ln the Teacher 

sdrlng FYmd at th5 tlmo of retlmmnt." 

If thlr provl5lon mean5 the aatu8lxeoelpt of the money 

ad ita dspoeit fa the ftmd to the credlt~ot the member, then the 

re~atlan lr *laid. Butonthe otherhand, if thela~~~~ge mew 

the deduction8 frcu the monbor~8 earnablo campenmtlon vh2c.h 25 

to be placed in Um fund, then the regulation is invalid. Ye are 

2nclSned to the latter expre88ed viev. 

3cme genatral rule5 on statutory constructicn are quoted 

*rrom T&s JUrlsprudence, Volume 39, poge8 166, 209, ,217, SJ follOV5 I 

"'The intention of the Le@slature in enacting 

a law la the lav 1t501r, 1 ftha ee5enae of the lav,' 

and *the spirit vh2ch sjlver life* to the enactment. 

pence, the +&I and object of aonatructlon la to ancertain BP4 eaforce the leglslttive intent, and not 

to defeat, nulliiy or thvart it. 

%hen the intOXIt 15 p&inly JlC9FJJJJd l&S t&J 

la ng u nge 0r l sta tute, it mu0t be given effeot v2fib 

outattemptlngto caostrueor Interpretthelw. Oa 

tha other hnnd, vhen it 153moe55ary to cozmtrue an 

sot in order to dotenllnb it5 proper wanllq, it 15 

nettled by a hoat OS deoislona that the aourt should 

first endewror to a~osrtaln the legl5lstlve intent, 

fras a general riev of the vhole enaotznent. Such 

intent hav2ng baen a5eertalned, the oourt vlll then 

seek to con8true the statute JO 68 to give effect to 

the purpo5e of the Legl5lature, 85 to the vhole sod 

eaah material part of the lav, even though thl8 nra~ 

Involve a departure franr the strict letter of the lav 

a5 vr2tten by the Legislature. 
Honomble Jsbn Se Rudd, Jr*, ?ar;e 3 

*‘i’hiJ 15 th0 ftmd5mntJloaaoa5adthea5rdlnal, 

prlauu-7 and paramount ml0 of oonatruotlon. vbloh 

should alva~r be olo6el7 observed and to vhlch JU 

other rules met y2eld. l l l " 

"Another nmdawntal rule FJqUh’JJ that a St&tute be aonatrwd a8 8 whole aa& t&t al of it8 puts 

bJ h82T1on%JJd~ %f pJJiblb~ Jo u t0 give OffJet to 

the entire sot rocordlng to the evident intention of 

th. ~giJl&UX’J. l * J 

"Esah put Of the UtatUte la to be OOBJidend in 

ocmneotlon vi?3 eYery other part and vlth the entlm 

enaotraent. in odor to prodwe a hamo~loue vhole and 

to reaah the true legirlat2ve intent. ?Zhua In oaae 

of doubt JJ to the rseon2ng of 5 partlotier vord, ClJuJe, 

prorlrlcm 'or aeotlon, it la to be vleved b the light 

or a1 the language anployed. It fOllOV5 thJt J proOiJiOn Hal not bJ given a. meanirq out of hanmay vlth 

OthJS pFOYiJiOM and f.llOC4MiJtUlt Vith thr WPOJJ Of 

the mot, although it vould be ruraeptlble of Juab oonJtFUOtiOI& %f Standing Ohle.” 

‘ * l l ma8 it 15 lrettlod thJt 8 statute vlll k 

JaDJtl’Wd tith FJfJFJZlOO to it5 intsndbd JCrO9.* It5 

~WD#Dti~JO, enb th s l BdJ Or objeok JOl@t to bo 

EPerJ.#o~irlon, clause Or vord of aa aot 

Vi11 b. hB8tFU.d tith FOfO~BOe t0 it5 lerd+ng id.8 

01 g~nerd, -50, and brought, 80 f8r u ~JJibhJ,~- 

to hrm~ therevlth." 

With there prinolpler 2x1 m2nd ve vlll nov muelder the 

lrm&uaqe UJJd In Seotion 5, SUbJJJtiOn 2 Or the Aot. The maiZj 

purpose of the Teaaher Ret2rement LJV la thy proteotlon of twohera after retlnmmt. It 15 true that the temher J&J~JJ part of 

the burdens of the ,Act; hovever, the act I5 Imainly fOC h25 benefit, 

opd v5 belleve that doubts should bs resolved In his frvor. 
Eoaorable &ha 3. Bud& Jr., Pwe k 

Subaeotlon 1 of Seotlcn 8 of the Aot pwrlder for deducta frol the wary 0r the ter0her 0r rive 90~ 0-t 0r hia 

l 8rnable aaipematloa. Subaeotloa l(c) or Section 8 prcvldee 

ia p8rt a8 r0mv8: 

= l l l The ea wb yer & a ll o er tlr y to the state 

Baud oi Trustee8 an eaoh and every 9wreJil. or ln 

such other meaner a8 said Bwrd mat pm8o~lbe, the 

amounts to be deduotod; and eaab of safd amounts shall 

be deduoted, and when deduotmd &all be 9ald into uld 

Teacher swlag Ptmd, aad Bhnll be credltsd, to the indi.vldu8l a08mt of the mmb~r SPCQ uhoaa ocmpensatlon 

raid deduotian ua# mada.” 

rr the regulation under oonslderatioa vex-a uwld, then 

emphaaia would be pbmad on the physloal eotm of reoelvlq tha 

coatrlbutloam and depa&ing m seme in the Pund to the credit of 

the teacher. But lf the deduotioal8 rightfullynsde rrc88 the 

oaapumation of the teacher, should the teaoher be permlised if 

thm employer r8ih or negleot8 to rend it in prcwtlgt We think 

not. Vs belter0 th8t Oace the deductloa la rightfully mule Pran 

the sahx70r tamtewher, thenit irtohie oladitin theTes~her 

smtag mad even though the tuoher 18 retired beor the nmaey 

la actamllr reoelved by the Teaoher Rotbemeat System. This 

rlsv plroes 5pharl8, not 00. the phy8loal aot8 of reaelpt aad depo8lt 0r tha Qontrlbutlonr, but en t&m rplrlt bohlnd the law. 

It is our opialoa, rLw0r0, that the regulatbn lm 

lnY8lld.