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

Austin,Teraa Dear Sir;

th furtherraf&enoe Of our '0plxlioR ,yoamahthe the 

## faetr

or the creation

or a Tarletea College. BeArtlOle4551 of the RsrlredStaOPtse of Texas and Artlale s, section

49 ur the uQm3titotlon of. Texer. You furtherstatethat at the tina the defloltumywnrrant

was authc&eed tQ be issu8U by the Oarernor, therewas no pro-er1cltl.q valid law authorizing the emotion of this building.Hon. r_. I!. Thornton, Jr., IGay 2, 1939, Page 2.

You ask. the opinion of this Department upon the question as to whether or not the Leglslsture, under the foregoing state of facts, now has the authority to appropriate the sum of $75,000.00 for the purpose of payingthe deiiclency warrantaloreznentloned.

Article 3, Section 44 0r the constitution or the State of Teras , provides In part as followar

"The Legislature
. .. ehallnot grant

. . . . by appropriation or otherrvise, any amount of money out of the Treasury of the State, to any indlvldual, on a olaim, real or prrtsnded, rhea the same shall not have bean provided <or by pm-existing law;
. ..w Publlaoltioea

ad oftioen are oreatursa or the &w, and their poreraand dutlerare neoersarlly desinea aad llmlted

by law. X ooatraot antwea into by a pub110 offioorfm the State,withoutexpress ar implied. l u+.horlty 00oiumd upon that Offfaer by law tu meka the partloular oontraot,

glvee rise to ao such leti abllgatloa as would be anforoed

by the oourtnagainst~the Stat.,in the eventthe **Legleletura** shouldpennlt the atateto **bo ad.**  **A** olalm fmed upon a oontmot thus made rithout the authority

from the State to the oirioarto make it, ia not a olalmprovldea for by pre-exl~Mng law, and thereSoru fall8withinthb oondemmtfon of the Arti of the Ooaetltution

or the State of Ten8 above rerdrradto. Port worth Cavalry

Club ~8, Sheppard (~Suprem~Cuurt), SS 8. 1. (al) 660, Artlole1183

of the Penal Code of the State ei Tuna prmlde8 that any memberor a governing board of aux eduoatloaal lnatftution

who shallooatrqot or provlds

ror the emotion or a buildingor other improvement not authorlmd by spaoiflo

leglslatlve

maaotmeat,

or by tittea dlreotioa OS the Govsruor

aotlngunder and ooneieteat with the authority of srieting

lawa, shallbe imprisoned fn Jailnot leas than ten days nor more thaa six montha. Art!$ls2dlSa-1,

BB amended, Acts 1933,Forty-third Legislature,

1st CalledSeaaion, page 195, Chapter79, SeOtlpn 1, provides:

"The Board of Dlreotors of the A&- oultural and Meohaniaal CollegeOf Texas ieIron.

E. Y!.Thornton, Jr., May 2, 1939, Page 3.

hereby authorized to aontract with persons, firms, or corporations for the purohase or, or the acquisition of, or the erectfon of permanent Improvements on or conveniently looated in reference to the campus of said oollege, or to the oampuses of any or all of Its branoh institutions, and to purohaae, sell, or lease land8 and other appurtenances for the construotion of auoh permanent lmprovemente, provided that the State of Texas incurs no indebtedneea under the contract."
Artiole 4351 gives the Governor of the State Texas authority

to approve

the lssuanoe

of 4efioIenoy rarraata

only at the lnstanoe of persons

entrusted

by the Stats with the power or duty of oontraotlag for supplies, or In any mannerpledging qe credituf the State for any dafioienoy

thatmay aria& under their -guWnt ur oontrol. It roimfs that if the pamon applying to the Governor

for a dsfioienoy

wurrantapproval

he8 not been eutruated

by .the Statswith the power of pled&g the oreditof the state for the partioular defloleaoy whIoh is the barris

for the is#WUMe of the warrant, the Govamoti

leokathe pawsrruderArLrtiols 4551 to approve the lammnor OS the defloienoy warrant. The offioials

of the eauoatlonal

lnatltutloa referrod

to being wIthoutauthority frcm the State to pidge th8 oredit or the 8t.m r0r th0 43~0tbi 0i thti buIldlug

referred

to, the aot OS t&a Governorin **approv** w the ieammie of the dafiolenoy warrantis uholly inrfraotIv0

to give any r~lidity to ruoh unauthorimea ooatraot, regardlean

at the faot that the (SOO,OOO debt limit **impsod** by statute

ana by tbo Ooaetitution was not Sxoeeded **by** the **miuur00 0r**  the **ddwi~n0p** mmnt rmmtd to.

we, therefore,

answerthat the Legirlature Ia withoutauthority

to appropriate monay in payment of the defloienoy

warrant issuedby tha Governor, underthe oiroumstenoem en4 fortha reason8 glvsnabove. Youre rely +uly
ATTORNXY 0EWRFlA.L

OF TEXAS

RKF:PBP R. W. Felrehild '. Asaieteht
APPROVEDI

.