## THEATJTORNEY GENERAL OFTEXAS

Hon. Orville 6. Carpenter Chairmanend Exeoutivs Uireotor Texas Unsmployment Ccrmpensation Ccmmission Austin, Texas
Deer Sir: Opinion No, O-896 Ret In visa of the amehdmentto the Tsxm Unsmployment Compensation Act, nould the~stete Comptroller bseuthori,sedtaissue duplicates of forged unemployment: onnpsnsation :warrants? ,~~
Ue ars'fn reo&ipt~:i&your1Miter of.Msy27,. 1939,;ins whhioh'you request am op%nionLan thsGolI0wing question::

,?'l'n vieyofthe wording of:thia.emendisei~t (800~ 9 (d) of'ths Texs;s

TJh~plogmsnt~&mpansa~on **Aot,.** artioIe 5521-b, Vernon% Ahnofatsd~CiMI. Statutus;as emendedbythe 46th Leg*, Rsgnlar Ssssim), nouYd'your opinion be, the sams:as:

0xpreetid in you& &etter(~optiion**Na..** 0-385)'ofNe~ol~l&h?~ (peyn*etioaI fnaeriktons ~oursLI)."
In opinion No:O-366, addressed to yourself, ws held that ertials 4365 0f~the Revised Civil Statutes of 1925~prohibitsthe isauanae of a duplicatewarrant whsks the loss of'destruotionof then original **has** not been oalled to the attention end proven to the setisfeotionof the Comptroller in the manner provided in sefd Statute.

Artlole 4366. Revised Civil Statutes, 1925. proridssr "The kmptrolle~,~when satisfied 'theta ny original **warrant** dram upon the State Treasurer, has been lost or destroyed'.

or when any aertlfioeteor other evidence of indsbtednessappmmsd by the auditing board of the State hes been lost, is authorized to issue a duplioeteaerreht in lieu of the originalmrrent or e duplicate or a copy of suoh oertifisete,~ca otherevidence of indebtedness in lieu of such originel:~ but 110suoh~dupliaate'werrent,or other svidsnoe of indebtedness, shell issue until the epplicent has filedwith the Comptrollerhis affidavit, stating that he is the true onnsr of suah instnnnent, end that the same is in fact lost or dsstroyed,~ end shall also file with the Comptrollerhis bond in double the ewuntHon. Orville S. Carpenter,June 9, 1939, pegs 2 O-896

of the oleim with two ormore good and sufficient sureties, payable to the Governor, to be approved by the Comptroller, and conditionedthat the epplioentwill hold the Stete harmless end return to the Comptroller,upon demand **being** made therefor, such duplicates or copies, or the amount of money named therein, togetherwith all costs thatmay eccrus against the State on colleatingthe same. After the issuenoe of seid duplicate or copy if the Comptrollershould escertain that the 88111s we8 improperly issued,, or thet the epplioent or pertyto whom the same was issuedwas **not** the owner thereof. he shall~et onoe demand the return of said duplicate or oopy if unpaid, or the amount Reid out by the State, if'so &aid; end, upon failure of the party to return same or the emount of money 'celledfor, suit shall bs institutedupon saidbond in Travis County."
Ithes:~bsen

celled to our attention that since opinion No. O-386 nesrendered on March 16, 1939, by this department,en amendment to'.the Temas Unemployment,Ccsnpensetion **tact,** Artiole 662lb;Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutes,Hess been enacted into law.

,~ Section 9 (d) of theActis the pbrtinent,portionof the emendmentr ."Ifa warrent hesbeen issued by the,Cqptroller in

_ payment of benefits esprovided under this **Aat.** and if the oleiment entitled to receive suoh,werranthas lost orloaes or for any reason failed or fails to receive suohnarren~t after suoh~werrentls.or.hesbeen issued by the Comptroller, end upon satisfactoryproof~of.suoh,,the~ Comptrollermay issue to claimant a duplioetewerrent es provided for in Article 4365, Revised Civil Statutes of Tsxes of,1925, but in no eventshell e duplicetewerrent be issued after one yser fromthe date of the original **warrant.**

**“**

**_** "If after any nerrant hss been,issued by the Camptroller payable to a claimant for benefits under the provisions of this Act, end such nerrent shellhave been lost or mispleoed, or if oleiment for any reason fails or refuses to present saidwarrant for paymentwithin twelve months after the dete of issuance of such warrant, suoh werrant shall be oenceled, end.thsreefterno payment shall bemade by the Treasurerion suchwerrent, end no duplicate warrant in plaae thereof shell ever be issued." The reference to ertiols 4365, Revised Civil Statutes, 1926, in the above quoted section of the Texas UnemploymentCompensationAct, is oelled to your attention.

Artiole 4366 e plies only to lost or destroyedwerrents. In suoh oeses, the Comptrol Per mey,issue duplicates on two conditionsr--

Hon. Grville S. Carpenter,June 9, 1939, page 3 O-896

First, the filing of affidavit of proof of ownership of the original and loss or destruotionby applicants Seoond, filing of a bond by appliaant. Section 9 (d) of the,Texas Unemployment CompenrationAct provides for issuenoeby the Comptroller of a dupliaatewarrant, where the originalhas been lost or has not been received by the oleimsnt "for any reason". Thus, in the case of a warrant issued in payment of benefits under the Texas UnemploymentCompen6a'cion Act. the Comptroller is not limited to cases of loss or destruction in issuing duplicate.

In respect to these warrants, he oan issue duplioateswhen the beneficiaryfails to receive the originalwarrant "for any reason".‘

Sinoe Seotion 9 (d) refers to artiole 4366, Rwised Civil Statutes, 1925, stating that the Comptrollermay issue duplicatebenefit marrants under the dot "as prwided for in article 4365,. Rwised Civil Statutes of Texas of 1926". it is evident that in respect to benefit warrants this section of the Unemployment CompensationAot was intended to broaden the scope of article 4366 without, in any nay, repealing the provisions of said article.

Consequently,Section 9 (d) of this artiale and artiale 4565 must be honrtmed together and the provisions~ of article 4566 would apply in the iasuanae of dupliaatebenefit ramants when the claimant for any reaaonfails to receive the original.'

The claimant,honever,must present satisfaotoryproof of failure to maeive the original and he must file applicant bond as required byartiole 4366.

In answer to your question, it is our opinion that the amendment ttithe Texas UnemploymentCompensationAat, which is article 5621-b of Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutes,modifies article 4366, Revised Civil Statutes, 1926, to **the** extent that it authorises the issuance of duplicate benefitnarrants,not on1y.i.n the 0880 of proven loss or destruotion,but upon satisfaotoryproof that alaimanthas not reoeived,hiswarrant. But, at the same time, it ,requiresthat in all other respeots, such as the filing of affidavit and bond, the provisions of article 4365, Revised Civil Statutes, 1926,must bemet.

Trusting that the above fully answers the inquiry submitted, -seam DS:csab:wo Yoursvery truly ATTORNEY GEEERAL OF TEXAS APPROVED: s/Gerald C. Mann ATTORNEY GERERAL OF TEXAS By s/Diok Stout Dickstout Approved Opinion Committee by s/IIPB Chairman **Assistant**