ootober 24, 19'(7 

Hon. Rrtwrt 0. Ttlompaou, Obalrlaan 

Rellroad Oohmlwioa 0r Texas 

Awtla, Tear8 Opialoa Ho. v-412 

~0: mqmiti0n 0r reef3 

reoelwd by th6 Coamisalon for lloenaes 

Issued under Artiols 

6053, v.c.s., 80 arfeated by rlder oonb ’ 

tallled 1n.s. 8'; 391, 

otitw6r 400; m8 or’ 

“A part of ~OUEO Bill 792 and the tunead- 

- maat o~ntalaed la Senate Bill 268 provided in 

p&Et 88 rOii~@J: 

: 

"'All:fess'reoeived bg the State frum 

lioenuerr lrrmwd under this Aot shall 

be made avaIlable to the RRllroad Oomalr8loa r0r use in paying the legitiaate expenlrer lnourred In adalalsterbg ati ~~r0~01tig the ~POVISIOUII or 

thtm. Aot; and r0r~no other purpose; 

~provlded, howwr. that any exoemm 

ruadr waalalng 8t the end or eaoh 

two -yepmlod a r l h8ll gotothe WI- I 

l mllhmd.' 

II . . . 

.-~-------- 
. 

; Eon. Rraert 0. Thompmon - Page 2 v-412 . 

Chapter 2 (H. 8, 792), Aats of the 46th 

Legisiatwe, during eeah or-the rieoal 

Jesrs beginning Septelmm 1, 1947, and 

September 1, 1948, sball be paid to the 

Qeaelal Revenue Fund." 

* " 

. . . 

Wll you please answer the r0110wing au+- 

t IOM ; 

"1. Cm the Legislature by an approi '~ ' 

pristioa bill ohsags or amend the general 

law8 or statutes or this State, pfirticu- , 

larl9 that seotloa or Artlale h53 as above 

:: ,'ret out? 

*2. Ii auah cannot be done, is Subbeation 8 of Seatfon 2-B of Artlole 6053 

still in &feet, and oan the Rallroad Com- 

.miualon uee suah fund8 (LPWs fee8 oolleot- . . 

ed) as far 88 they are neoessary to aarq 

out the provlfW.?n8 of the LPGea Aot?" 

! The Fort9-elxth Legislature et ltr~regular . * 

I setwloa In 1939 amended Aptla5e 6053, R.O.S., 1925, by 

1 

enaotlng Chapter 2, H .a. 792, Aots or 1939.: Artlole 

6053, supra, ~8 amended by H. B.‘792, ‘provided a cmprehenalve 89atem of regulation by.$he. Railroad Oonmlsslon iOr the des&m, .l.asteilletloa, aowtruatlon, and 

Op8rat10naOr oolrtaFner8 and ecpalpneat' ror the Wmage, 

bandllng, and transportation of butane at@ liquefied 

petroleua gabes. The Act further pmmided for the payment of oertsla annual r9e8 .b9 persaab ooming wlthlrr 

itr term8 to the Railroad Comlsslon, aal Seotlon 2b(8) 

rpeoirioally provided eb r0110wq 2 

"All r888 reoelved by the state rr0i0 

liaeoeea Issued under thls"Aot shall be 

mnde avellable to the Railroad Oommlsalon 

ror nne in paying the -legitimate expenres 

inaurwd In adminiaterlng and enforaing 

the provlelaam of thlu Aot, and for no o.ther purpose; provided, however, that any 

OXOO8B fWdS ~EU%iniDg 4t tb end Or 08Oh 

two-par period &all go to the 0eneral 

Fbn$." 

. ,. 

.*..- -...-. - --I- - .~. ., 
, . Ii&n. Sraeat 0. Thompson - Page 3 v-412 UJ 

The Forty-ninth Leglslatme, Regular Seaalon, 

1945, further mended ArtIale 6053 aupr8, by elvrotlng 

9. 8. 269, Chapter 358. Seatloa 18 or 3.-B. 269; whloh 

now appear8 88 Seotlm 18 of Artlale 6053, aupm, read8 

and prwldea as follqwa: 

“All fee8 received by the state from 

licenikea laaued under this Act shall be made 

atrallable to the Railroad Coml.saloa for use 

In p89lng the legltimste expense8 incurred 

In 8dmlalaterlng and enfOrcIng the pr~lalona 

of this Aat, and for no other purpose; provided, however, that any exceaa fmda rexmlalag at the end of each two-pear period 

ah811 go tothe Oenersl Fuad." 

The State Depmtmental Appropriation Bill, 

Chapter 400, Aota 0r the 50th Leglaleture. Regular Seaaloa, 1947. ootitalna 8 rlder following the appropris; 

tlon8 therela apeaifiled for the 088 Utllltiea 8nd Llqu8f$ed Petrolem Iospeotlon DlvIalon of the Commlraion 

vhioh Dada aa r0lm8; 

,.' 

'All fees reoelied by the Rallroed Comnlaalon fran lloeaaea laaued sneer Ohepte? 2 

(House Bill 792), Act8 of the 46th Leglalatubs, during e8Oh of the fiaaal Years begIni 

alag Septeaber 1, 1947, and September 1, 1x40, 

ahrll be ml.4 to the &mere1 Reveaue Fwl. 

There 08a be no doubt th8t Artlole 6053,~;zxy 

la a geaeral law i 2 Sutherland Statutors Conatruo 

8 2302. Seatloa 2b( of the 1939 amendment (R. B. 7% ' 

2 Aata of 193 

::t-(9: 8. 269 

and Section 18 of the 1945 amend: 

Che 

Identloal lm≥ 

358 Acts of 1945) uae the 881~0 

It'18 olear fra the languege 

used In these two aeotlona that the moue9 reaelved by 

the coiunlaaloa ror lioenaea Is~aued under Article 6053, 

auplur, was devoted to the ap8oIeS purpose of paylag 'the 

leglt@ste axpeaaea lnourred In eAmlalaterlng and enr0n:lv the prwlaloaa" or the Aat aad "for no other Dwm. Suoh money waa thereby removed from the General 

Rewaua Fund, aubjeot only to the provlalon regardlag 

8~888 fund8 remalalag at the end of eaoh tWO-988r pePI55 9, W. (2d) 153 (28x. 01~. 

2he rider ooat8lued 

tbeyJthLe&8lNme; Re@8r 

la Obapter 400, Aota or 

988810~, 1947, and abow 

\ 
kL ‘*7U Hon. Ernest 0. Thompson - Page 4 

quoted, purports to transfer the license fee fund created and devoted to a special purpose by Artlale 6053, 

aupre; to the General Fund. The rider is lneffeotual 

to aaccmpllah such purpose !because it is no longer an 

open question that a rider 8ttached.t.o an 8pp~prlatlOQ 

bill cannot modify or repeal an exleitlug general lav: 

State v.~Steele, 57 Tex. 200 (1882); Linden v. Finley, 

T 451 .45 9. W. 578 (1899). Moore v. SheDDWd, 

144.;:;. 53; 192 9 w. (26) 559'(1946) Former oplnions or the ittorne; General have conalitently so held. 

Your first queatlon is therefore answered la 

the aegatlye. 

In answering your'aeaond question, we 0811 

attention to the faot that Seotlon 2b(8) of Artlale 

6053, aupra, as It exlated as a result of the 1939 

* eaeadmeat (H. B. 

1 

92, Ohapter 2) was replaced by seotloa 18 ln the 19 5 amendment (9. B. 269, Ohapter 358). 

We thererore aaaune that you have referenoe to Seotlon 

18 or &tlale 6053, aupra, sud not Seatlon~2b(8). 

Artlole VIII, Section 6 of the Coaatltutloa 

or Texas, reads as rollowa: 

"100 monef shall be drawn from the !PreaaDRY but In Duraumoe of aDe~lflo awromlatlOu8 made bs law: nor Shall any aDDPODrl8- 

tloa of money be made for a lonner term them': '- 

exoept by the first Legislature -",., 

under this Conatltutlon,'whloh -.' 

ma9 meke the aeaeaaary appropriatlotia to OS'+" ' 

rj on tM government until the eaaaablage of 

the l lxteenth Leglalsture.' (1pnphaala oura) 

This ooaatltutlonal provlaloa la not limited 

to fnada pnld Into the General tid, and applies to 

funds dedicated to 8 apeolal porpoae. 

detiiia Me 5, 1939. 

trola 81 I 

Suah oonatltutlonal - provia on ooneppmprlatlona out'of the State Treaiury 

ati~moaey not appropriated by the Leglalature oannot. 

ba witbdimwn from the Treasury. Likewise, the appropr?irrtlona made by th8 Leglalatum oannot b8'fOr &.tO~ 

ln axoe#a~of two. dr8. plakle v. Fl 

44 8. w. 480 (18aj 38 Tex. Jur. 

nlby 91 !l%x..,484, 

84 5, a *a. ._. 

The Le~g?aleture et its regular aeaalonii.la’ 

1941;1943, sad 1945 apeoiriosiiy pmvlded la the 
. _ 

; - 

Ron. I&neat 0. Thompson -) Page 5 v-412 73. 

approprletlon bills that the fees received by the Rallroad Ccnunlaalon for licenses issued under Artlale 6053, 

aupre (Ii. B. 792, Chap. 2, Acts of 1939, as emended by 

9. B. 269, Chsp. 358, Aota of 1945), were appropriated 

to the OommLaalon for uae In enforcing end fbdmlnlaterlng the proolalona of the Act. See Acts of 47th Legialature, Remlar Session, 1941, Chapter 571, p. 1274; 

Acts of.48th Le ialature, Regular Session, 1943, Chapter 400; p. 100 Ef ; Aata of the 49th Leglaleture, Regular 

Seaaloa, 1945, Chapter 378, p. 929. For acme reason 

the Leglalature did not see fit to appropriate this 

money to the use Of the Commission for the two-year 

perlodbeglnnlng September 1, 1947. See Aota of 50th 

Leglalature, Regular Session, 1947, Chapter 400, p. 

919. 

It follows from what has been aaid~above that 

elthough tM general law (Artlole 6053, aupre) had the 

effect of dedlaatlng the fees euttaorleed by said Act 

to the uae of the CcnunZsaloa, such was not, end could 

not be effeotlve as en spproprl.stloa or same to the uae 

of the Oommlaaloa more then two years later. Johnson 

Your aeooad question la therefore 4QBirOrO~ IQ 

the aegetlre. 

1. The rider aontalaed la an approprlatlti bill purporting to transfer certain f%ada 

I prevloualy dedloated by a general statute to 

a 8peolal purpose la lneffeotual to transfer . 

Bush apeolal fund to the General Revenue Fund 

of the St&i0 (ooaatrulag rider ~oontalned ln 

chpfer 4OO;pagO 919, Aata of 50th Leglalature, 1947, regerddi 

.fbaila oraated by 

transfer of apeolal~ 

88 amended, 

R.O.S., 1925, 
fIOa. -eat 0. Thompson - page6 v-412 

l 

2. Funds dedicated by a general Ut+?& tUta 

to a special purpose must be appropriated by 

the Legislature in accordance with Artiale 

VIII, Ssotlon 6 of the Oonstltutlon of Texas 

before mloh fmda maylegallybe used. 

Yours vesrytru1y 

AT~'ORREYGE~~B~ULOFTIWIS 

By - 

w. v. ceppewt 

Asrilrtant 

=.~wCharlelr D. M&hews 

. 

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