**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS AUSTIN** 

Honorable J. C. Roe County Attorney lyamrro County Corsicana, Texas
Dear Sir: QQilliOIl NO. O-7260 Re: Validity of Yectlon 2, Par. **3,**

page 280 reads:

"'Ho school dia

under or vhich order to ahov

districts in Ravarro viev of this section of eet all other requirements

s of your opinion of the legality Ion of the **Statute.** It occurs to la unreasonable and arbitrary 1~ of the recipients of the aid, and enallaes certain school diEtriCt8 o conducted their finances as to be able to reduce their tax rate but still meet all the qualifications necessary to **secure** the a~ld provided, and that the qualifications placed on such recipients by such section of the stetute should be stricken from**Han. 3.**  **C. Roe**  **-** Page 2

the 8ame because of such unreasonableness and because same **18** an arbitrary classification upon olass legislation and vholly defeats the purpose, aim and object of the legislature.

‘Pleese advise me a8 to the constltutioI'i8lity Of the above **Section Of**  the **Bte.tUte** above referred to at your earliest oonvenleace and oblige. n Your attack sgalnst the paragraph above quoted ~03 the Rum1 Aid Law is apparently b88ed upon the Article of qur Conatltution vhich prohibits discriminatory and class legielation, md also sec. 5 of Article 7, which define8 the “available school fund” and declares this fund “shall be distributed to the several oounties **8UCOrding** to their scholaatlo population. o Since the case of NummeY. Marra, 40 s. W. (2) 31, deaided **by** our Supreme Court is squarely decisive of the issues raised by youp r8queat, ve quote very liberally Srom it: 1,

. . . Since the Legislature has the mandatory duty to make 

### suitable provision ior the support and maintenance of an afrf0id **system** 

### 0r publie free **8ohoo18, end**  **has the**  **paver to**  **peas any**  law relative thereto, not prohibited by the Constltution, it necessarj.ly r0il0v8 tbat it has a oh0lco In the selection of **mDethOd8 by**  vhioh the object of the OPganic lav may be efte&ated. The Legislature alone is to judge what meaus are neoesaary awl appropriate for a purpose vhich the Constitution makes 1egitLmate. The legislative deters&nation of the aethods, restrictions and regulations is final, except vhen so srbltrary as to be violative of the constitutional rights of the oitisen. 6 rtuling case mu, p. 1551154..

.

**“ A.8**  **t0** vhether OP not a 

### laV 8ecur88 due process end equal pmteotlon e,e required by the Constitution depend8 upon the subject On which it operates and the oharacter of rights vhich it affects. The constitutional guarantee does not forbid the state from

### aa. J. C. Roe - Pase 3

**sdJu8tlng** 

### its legl8l&lon to di.ffkpences in 

## situBt1Qn. Equalprottitlon**or** 

### law8 ie 8ecumtlif the 

### atatutcse

do not 

### subjectthenindividual to 

### srbltrtuyoxerclee or the powem or **govomment.** It .~ 

### 18 vell eettledthat le@ektlon te not open to objectionif a11 who 

### arebrought**under** 

### it8 influence**am** 

### trertsdalike in the name clWiaa8tances. 9 TexanJur+bpTud-to, P. 553 11.17.Xn the verynatureof 

### oooiety vith itsmar&foldooaupitlono and **aontaat8,** 

### the **L&a** 

### latum lauthove.and alearly**doe8**

### hove,**authority** 

### to 018882.Q8ubjset8 

### of legt8latloa, and,when the olarsirtoatian **18** 

### narwable - the* **ir, h8Bd**  

### MpQn **80#** 

### real 

### differonoe **exl8tlng** 

### ia t-hosub **sot** 

### of tit4 emotmat - and the lav applier 

### Mrmly L tho8e 

### vha are vlthln 

### the partlo*r 

### e&08, the not 

### lo not open to 

### conotl**tutlorml** 

### ob Cction. il19,**P.** 

### 554 9 TaxarJwiePmdcuroe, p. 555,

, ~120,P. 5611,

I121. %ho pmvlriaa 

### of the lav ttmt 

### a 8-1 rhallnot be eligibleto retelveruml **aid** 

### until it 

### vote8 

### a 

### tax of 75 oentsma **the** 

### @OO valuatlano? the 

### texablepropertyofthe dUtriotl8not au **unmmson8bZs roqulmmmt,**  

### becoueevell belov them ~@e%u&tted by the ~onotltuUen 

### and 18~8 of the state. Xt YJ bo rot.4or not, u detonrtn+d by 

### tb t T 

### yen tbomelvee. mor 18 it di8oriminatory, Wwe It app ieo **to** 

### all dir**tracts auka**  **which** 

### 8pplyr0r **aid. ”** 



### Ys bellevethe b8t quobat,ion dea the quelltian et haad agd you am 

### themfore rbvirsU t&t 

### the l eotlon 

### of the rural Nd I,ey

Inquiredaboutie oan8tltutitUWl. Althoughyou have stat& t&t the rohooldirtriots In q\rrstIon

arenot eligibletar Sbte Aid by ma8on ot the **abov8 quotd**  **pamgreph, VB**  **are** 

### enclosingcopiesof OpinionoHo8.O-6768, 0-7017,a-7096and o-7Sl7,vhieh **i+el?pret** 

### thl8 wrqwph.
**Yews** 

### very tmly

BY uooaTQvlEdwml8 **Asrrirtant**