## 61

OFFICE OF iHE **ATTORNEY GENERAL** **ik -**  AUSTIN



### Boaenble GeorgeW.Co% stat. 

### Boalth0iilo.r Teum State 

### Board orBaalth Aurtin,Tour DOI?81r:

therela

### mntion ited 

### Strter l **ruotod** 

### nUroh 16, 194) aa horpitilmat.?& 8Md iafaatrof oala

### mi11tary8OrT10,. 

### h loE.P. 29)s 78tb -9ederalSeourlJ **Undrr**

### Title1 thei.o I 4-

### lowI) to State8 

### ror l

uorgonoy 

### matomit7 and infaatoare (nationaldrfr.~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 

### Laborml plan8 

### derolopod

and l daLiBi8tOrOd

byStateHealth Agw

### 0108 and approved by 

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

vThe legislation rhloh made

### prorloionfor the Emergenoy Maternity and 

### InfantCare 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 maanthat 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*undaare pald t:, the proper person entitled thereto for serrlces perPormcJ aocordlne to the adopt6i rUk8, and that the Federal Lgenclee **do**not require the Texas C,t&teZealth 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 IrOmthe Attorney General of Texas. OnDeoember 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 

### oplnlonand the information 8upplled by thb Ptdtral Bureau. *The ZSnIttdStates Childrta~s aurrall lnforned the Tbrtt State Health Grfloer, through ::CIiCircular, No. 14, i88Ut?;i :.%y6, 1943, that fund8 for admlnlsterlng this program should be requested aa follow6:

“‘2. iieqUe8tS for Fund E
A.

B.

c.

D. Iii0conditional apportionment8 or FundF;are 

### beingmade to the States ror ths fi??CGi year 1944 slnot the amount of monthly allotments will be based on the number of **08808 tu**  thorlzed and the oo8t of oar6 ptr oa8e in each State. Enter on 6 ssparote budget series form !.!CH-3aan item number--dlffertnt from any number included ln the maternal end child health budgotfor 

### an itendbbigII6tbd ~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 LGHbadgtt 

### for 1946.

‘iYhena State maternal and child health plan 18 approved for th6 fiscal year 1944, approval will not be given 

### In any 8p6oiflbd amount of FundE. 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

*Numberof oeeee l uthorlzed during (prerloue month).

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

‘VTheeatlrurted number of 

### l pplIoetlona that will be authorized during (Month In which telegram la rant). *Onthe baala or the Information In theae telegrama, allotment8 will be me3e and payment8 or Fund Ewill be oertlfled to the Stetre.’ *Upon e baele of lnatruotlona aa oontalned In XCHInformation Circular, No. 14, the Texas state Health 

### Offloorhaa 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 !AXiIntormetlon 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’SB-JiE4U X.D. E!!IC PiWGRAM NOTXCEOF 

### H.LOTE3?TOF F’iD E FDHTE?

### XOXTH

EXDINOAPRIL30, 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 newcare8 1/ 5g473 1/ 

### for April 1,963 244 3. Avsrage ooat per oaae oomplated during March 59.91 6.33yonoreble George W. Cox, page 5

4.

.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9. ~atlmatad Fun1Z 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 Eneeded for incomplete end newmaternity 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 'March31,

‘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 Bneeded $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



### **Toobtain 

### neoeaaerylnforaatlon 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 Eior 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-8Is 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 FundF 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 re

### alltyrepreaent 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 ofgonorable Ceoca w. COX,page 7

t!selth, oven though the Texea 

### State3epartnant of Realth haa been assured that rUndowill 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 

### theState, 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 

### 163S.W. 

### 1020;State v. Wllaon, 9 9. W. 155; Stnte v. PerleteIn, 

### 79S. W. (26) 

### 143; State v. Heglend Cllnlo-Hospital, 

### 159S. 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 ln

### ourrlngindebtedness In emounta exceeding funds actually reoelred from the rederal authorltIea by the Texas State 3epartment or Eealth even thou&a the 

### TtxeaState 3epertmtnt of liealth haa bean tsaured that funds will bel 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 

### amountor aumaof 

### moneyunder the roregolng faota. Ii. R. 2935, 76th Congress, knownaa the LeborFederal feourlty Appropriation Act 1944 expreaely provides for the funaa appropriated 

### tobe admlnietered by State health agen0108. It la apparent rrom the feote ateted that federal fund8 will be allocated upon a basis of the 

### ooetof 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. Knoan ret no reason why the State iiealth qepertment admlnlaterlng the above mentioned runds would be prohibited from lnourrlng the lndebtednese heretofore mentioned In 

### oonformltywith 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

OFTXAS

Ardell Williams ;isslat~i OPlNlOh

**COMMIITI**