61 

OFFICE OF iHE ATTORNEY GENERAL ik - 

AUSTIN 

Boaenble George W. Co% 

stat. Boalth 0iilo.r 

Teum State Board or Baalth 

Aurtin, Tour 

DOI? 81r: 

therela mntion 

ited Str tel r ruotod 

n Uroh 16, 194) aa 

horpitil mat.?& 

8 Md iafaatr of oala mi11tary 8OrT10,. 

h lo E. P. 29)s 78tb 

-9ederal SeourlJ 

Undrr Title 1 the i.o I 

4- 

lowI) to State8 ror l uorgonoy matomit7 

and infaat oare (national drfr.~eIl ?or (rmtr 

dltlcm to rimilar 

mdloal llU81ll4 

rant oar* for WiV.8 aad 

in the armed Soroer of the United "tatoe, under 

allotment8 by the Sroretary of Labor ml plan8 

derolopod and l daLiBi8tOrOd by State Health Agw0108 and approved by thr Chief of the Childron* 

Bureau, #4,400,000.~ 
Honorable George ‘J. Cox, page 2 

vThe legislation rhloh made prorloion for the 

Emergenoy Maternity and Infant Care Program rwulrer 

.partioipatlng Stat68 to present plans for operating 

the rbrriobr to the bite3 Stat68 Chlldrbn*s Burtaa, 

the a&ency which dls?enses the fund8 and supervises 

the opbratlon of the senlce8 tkiroughout the rarlour 

Stat68 l 

bB6rorb Texas inaugurated a program tar emergbnoy 

maternity and intent 06~8 it requested an oplnlon 

of the .rttorney General Of Tbxa8 upon the Iegalltp 

of almlnleterlng federal funIs under the rultr and 

regulation8 promulgated by the :Snlted States Chlldren’e 

5ur6aU. The Attorney General, in thl8 opinion, hsI 

this t3 ray wit& r6fcrence to the federal legirlation 

gortrmlng this sbervlce: 

“‘The foregoing act bxprc;ssly proVide8 for 8UOh 

funds to be bdvlnlsterb3 by State health agenoler. ‘-IO 

oonstrub that portion of the 31rbotor*6 letter 863 

out above, toaethbr wlth thb ruleb prozU.lgeted by the 

SureaJ to maan that the Texas State libalth 3bpertment 

must only assume rbspon8lbllIty ior the pollolea and 

espbats of a%r.Inlsterlng the rUId8. That la, to oee 

that the f*unda are pald t:, the proper person entitled 

thereto for serrlces perPormcJ aocordlne to the 

adopt 6 i rUk8, and that the Federal Lgenclee do not 

require the Texas C,t&te Zealth 36partmant tr, obllgate the State of Texas to asaumb re8ponsIblllty for 

the payment ror the berrloes rendered. 

“The State Health Ofriobr of Taxer pr68ented a 

plan for inaugurating the Xmergenoy paternity and Infant Care Program to the ‘Jnltbd State8 Department ot 

Labor, after sbourlng 3plnlon Xo. O-5583 IrOm the 

Attorney General of Texas. On Deoember 13, 1943, the 

State Health Oiflcbr reooived a letter from the Xrector of the Xvlslon oi Health Sbl'ViO68, 'Jnlted 

State8 Children’s Bureau, Zashlngton, D. C., stating: 

‘This Is to lnfora you that your Emergency i’btbrnity 

and Infant Cbre Plan has been approved.’ 

*The State Depertnbnt of iiealth lmmedlately put 

the plan into operation in aooordbnce with the Attorney 

. 
6’ 

aonorable George w. Cox, page 3 

Cbnbral’8 oplnlon and the information 8upplled by 

thb Ptdtral Bureau. 

*The ZSnIttd States Childrta~s aurrall lnforned 

the Tbrtt State Health Grfloer, through ::CIi Circular, 

No. 14, i88Ut?;i :.%y 6, 1943, that fund8 for admlnlsterlng this program should be requested aa follow6: 

“‘2. iieqUe8tS for Fund E 

A. 

B. 

c. 

D. 

Iii0 conditional apportionment8 or 

Fund F; are being made to the States 

ror ths fi??CGi year 1944 slnot the 

amount of monthly allotments will 

be based on the number of 08808 tuthorlzed and the oo8t of oar6 ptr 

oa8e in each State. 

Enter on 6 ssparote budget series 

form !.!CH-3a an item number--dlffertnt from any number included ln the 

maternal end child health budgotfor an iten dbbigII6tbd ~8 mIC5bretnoy 

Xedioal and Hospital Care ior Yothbrs 

and Inrantv and triter in colt 10 

the amount of Fund t, 6stisUted to be 

needed for the fitoal year 1944. Th6 

htadlng of oolumn 10 should be ohangbd 

to rtad *Fund E.? Thls form KCII-?a 

should br rubmitted along wlth the 

regular LGH badgtt for 1946. 

‘iYhen a State maternal and child health 

plan 18 approved for th6 fiscal year 

1944, approval will not be given In any 

8p6oiflbd amount of Fund E. 

L!CH-8, m.2uarterly :. stbGt6s of Fxpendlture," atrouli sot be subnlt ted for 

rmd :‘. Insteal, telrgrans should be 

rubnitted to ths Children’8 ijureeu on 

the rlrst Jay of baoh month lnclullng 

the r0ii0wlng laformatlon: 
Honorebla George Vi. Cox, page 4 

*Number of oeeee l uthorlzed during 

( prerloue month). 

“The estimated total amount of oblltetlone Inourred ror l uoh oeaea. 

‘VThe eatlrurted number of l pplIoetlona 

that will be authorized during 

(Month In which telegram la rant). 

*On the baala or the Information In 

theae telegrama, allotment8 will be me3e 

and payment8 or Fund E will be oertlfled 

to the Stetre.’ 

*Upon e baele of lnatruotlona aa oontalned In 

XCH Information Circular, No. 14, the Texas state 

Health Offloor haa aubmltted to the Children’8 Bureau 

on tha iirat day oi eeoh month the Inform&Ion requested 

In this olroular. 

*The United States Children’s Buraeu hea not allocated to the Texea Stete Department of Health in eooordenoe with !AXi Intormetlon Ciroular, No. 14, ha quoted 

herein. It ha8 allooated fund8 upon e baa18 of unexpended belenoea, ea oompered with the eatlmated needa ror 

funde during the ooming month. This la l vldenoad by 

the following oommunloetlon from the Dlreotor or the Dlvlaion of Health Sanloea, gnlted States Children’s 

Bureeu, April 30, 1944: 

“U.S. Department or Labor Copy ror Ceo.W.Cox, 

CHILDRSN’S B-JiE4U X.D. 

E!!IC PiWGRAM 

NOTXCE OF H.LOTE3?T OF F’iD E FDH TE? XOXTH 

EXDINO APRIL 30, 1944 

State or Texaa Prepared by Stats Aullta ‘Jnlt 

April 8.1944 

Maternity Infant 

1. Ceaee lncomnlete 88 0r 

Caaea Cases 

Yeroh 31, 1344 304 

2. Eatlmeted new care8 

1/ 5g473 1/ 

for 

April 1,963 244 

3. Avsrage ooat per oaae oomplated during March 59.91 6.33 
yonoreble George W. Cox, page 5 

4. 

. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

~atlmatad Fun1 Z needed 

ror 

(e) 

(b) 

(0) 

i.prIl: 

I;;: ; multlplltd 

:“,z; ; multiplied 

T&;)lIttW+(e) 

by 

$327.887.43 3,924.x 

by 

117.603.33 1.544.52 

plus 

445.490.76 3,468.64 

catlnstsd Fund E needed for 

incomplete end new maternity 

end Infant caeee (awn of 

eaiounte In Item 4(o) ) 

Total previous allotment ot 

Fiil Ii 646,000.00 

Total expenditurea ror oases 

w$letad through 'March 31, 

‘15 (894.71 

Adjustment: hnount 0r previous ellotmant avelleblr ror 

oeats reported in item8 1 and 

2 (Item 6 tinus Item 7) 

Allotm6nt Of Frtlli B needed 

$r April (itea 5 mlnua Item 

448,959.60 

630.105.29 

$ 2J--- 

Vurther!nore, the Znlttd States Chll~ren’e 

Bureau, tkrodgh P:IIC Circular, No. e, April 3, 1944, 

haa lnl’ormed the State I!eaith Cfficer aa ioiitwa: 
‘70 

Honoreble Oeorga W. Cox, pegs 6 

**To obtain neoeaaery lnforaatlon for determlnfng the monthly l llotment or Fund ii to thr Stetfa 

and to provide en eooountlng 05 oeaea for whloh 

l enloee here been euthorlted by the States, end 

of expenditure8 made under l uoh euthorltetlona, 

eeoh State pertlolpetlng In the EXC program la 

required l fter approval of their enoumbrenoe oontrol to submit every month on Form EL!10 - 8 a report 0r oaaea, allotmente, end l xpendlturee of 

Fund E ior the month and an eatlmate of Fund E 

needed ior the follorlng month, ee provided for 

In the regulationa of the Seoratary of Labor. 

**Form EXtC-8 ahould be submitted dlreotly to the 

Childrento Bureau in Weahlngton on or before the 

5th dey of eeoh month. The rlrat report on Form 

EMIC-8 Is due on or before the, 5th day of the 

month following the rlrat month in whloh the epproved enoumbrenoe oontrol ia In operetlon. 

at;:onthly reporta on Form E?UC-6 will repleoe the 

telagrephlo reports aubmltted in prevloua montha, 

Special Report No. 1, end Speoip.1 Rsport No. 2, 

Report8 on Form EUJC-8 will be used In ?hr. future 

ea a beala ror computing the monthly allotments 

oi Fund F to States on aDproved enoumbrenoe oonA. * 

*Aooordlng to atetamenta ot the Xreotor or Health 

Serrioea of the kited State8 Children*8 Bureau ea quoted 

herein the monthly allotment8 to Texaa will be baaed upon 

the coat of oompleted oaeea. Thla will not, in the oplnion of the State Xaalth Offloar, be a aetlafaotory beala 

ot allooatlon, tar tha unexpended balenae does not In reallty repreaent the emcunt of runda ereIlebla, l lnce enoumbrenoea have bern mede against the unexpended balanoe. 

Thla prooedure, if followed, will result In the Texas State 

Department of Fiealth enoumbarlng fund8 In exoe8a of the 

emount eotuelly reoelred by tha Texea Stete Department or 

Health. 

Wonalderlng the above lnrormatlon I ahall appreciate 

en opinion upon the legality or the Texea State Department 

of Health Inourrlng Indebtedneaa In en amount exceeding 

rundo eotuelly received by the Texea State Department of 
gonorable Ceoca w. COX, page 7 

t!selth, oven though the Texea State 3epartnant of 

Realth haa been assured that rUndo will be allooated 

upon l bee18 or the ooat of oomplated oeaaa.a 

It la wall arttlad that no one haa euthorlty to meka e 

oontreot binding on the State, except where he la authorized eo 

to 30 by the Conatltution or e pre-exiatlng l tetuta. (Fort 

Korth Cavalry Club v. Sheppard, 83 S. W. (2d) 660; Nlohola v. 

State, 32 S. W. 452; State v. Haldenen 163 S. W. 1020; State 

v. Wllaon, 9 9. W. 155; Stnte v. PerleteIn, 79 S. W. (26) 143; 

State v. Heglend Cllnlo-Hospital, 159 S. W. (2d) 105). Arter 

e oereful aearoh of the statute8 end tarloua provlalona dr the 

State Conatltutlon, we is11 to find any provlalon authorizing 

the Texas State l)apertnent or Eeelth to bind the State when lnourrlng indebtedness In emounta exceeding funds actually reoelred from the rederal authorltIea by the Texas State 3epartment or Eealth even thou&a the Ttxea State 3epertmtnt of liealth 

haa bean tsaured that funds will b e l llooated upon a beala oi 

thh coat of completed oasea aa mentioned ln the latter quoted 

above. Therefore, It la the opinion of thla department that 

the State Department of health haa no legel authority to bind 

the State of Texas for any amount or auma of money under the 

roregolng faota. Ii. R. 2935, 76th Congress, known aa the LeborFederal feourlty Appropriation Act 1944 expreaely provides for 

the funaa appropriated to be admlnietered by State health agen0108. It la apparent rrom the feote ateted that federal fund8 

will be allocated upon a basis of the ooet of oompleted oases 

end that the rederel authorltlea, in order to oerry out the 

plane of the federal agencies, require the State Htalth Dcpartment to Incur lndebtedneea in amount8 exoaedlng funds aotuelly 

on hand; however, the rederel agenolea aaaure the State Department of IIealth that funda will be allooeted to pay the Indebtedneaa lnourrad under Ita rule8 end reguletlona. Kn oan ret no 

reason why the State iiealth qepertment admlnlaterlng the above 

mentioned runds would be prohibited from lnourrlng the lndebtednese heretofore mentioned In oonformlty with the tedarel rulte 

and regulationa. Although aa ebore ateted, the State Department of Health would have no legal euthorlty to bind the State 

01 Ttras in oa?rylng out the program of the rederel agencies 

under the rules end rrgulatlone of ouch agenoiea. 

Yours very truly 

ATTORNEY GE-KTtAL OF TXAS 

Ardell Williams 

;isslat~ 

i OPlNlOh 

COMMIITI