OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

I5ononblr augustin Colafa, Chsfrman 

Comilttee on State &fairs 

tiouzr oi ;cpr*s*ntativr8 

n\U)tin, Terar 

olarac tht 

flnd8 and dra publio oalardty 

l ucb na tur e l # to 

untie8 to take rtopr to prolta thr oanrequenarr of a reIhat for a period or fir0 (51 

ywasr, be&&g 81th tb tuablr year 194a. 

thrrr 18 hereby donated and granted bt tho 

state or Texas to eaoh rappoctiie county bf 

thfr State, one-half of the State 86 talorea 

taxen oollaoted for general rc~enuc purFwe8 
upon t& property and from the psrsonr la rash 

rerraotlrt= countr, ssoept those heretofore donated or apyrapriatsd, inaluaing sd raloru 

taxes OE ths rolling stock bslonglng to rsilroad oonp5n2*s, tilch shall bs l sosrtainsd and 

apportions& as non proridsd bt law. Ths tusr 

hereby Conatsd and grsntsd shsll bs lsttsd ti 

l ssrsmd and collsotsd a# now protid81I br law, 

arcopt thot ths ~asssor and Collaotor oi T~sa 

In saoh rsepsotirs oocnty shall fmard his 

reports to tho Ccqtrollsr oi Fubllo Aoownts 88 

Frovlded by law and &all gay over to tbr 'Tma@- 

ursr of ths oountf all moneys oollsotsd bx hla 

at ths sod of esoh uonth and durin& tbs psriod 

oorsrod by thb donution, eraapt such acxounts 

aa are allowed by lau r0r a*,s*saing and oolleoting the saps, and shall Sciruerd a duplioats 

copy of ths rsoslpts sit-en him by ths County 

Treasursr tor raid money to ths Ccmptrollsr. 

“sec. 5; :~Othin8 la tills Ast 8hall CuiIsnd, 

alter, imdiiy, or repssl any doaatioa, grant or 

remisston o? tar** h*r*tofor* fade. 

“SX. 4. ‘;he tax88 donatsd an4 gmatsd by 

tbfs AC: and oollsotsd in sash rsrpsotits countr 80~11 be used by tbs Count7 Commls8loncrr' 

Court or said ootintr for the iol.lalng purpo8osr 

(a) loxwing the ad reloresi tax rats far aouaty 

purposes; (b) OCWtrcCtiII& ihOd OoatrOi works 

and iupove~ents in sirid oouaty) (0) ior improrsrants ta prsvsnt soil sroslon and for roll ooasenatlon purpossr~ (d) ior irrigation and dmina88 projeots~ (e) cooe*rtatlon and ntllfzatlon 

or nator; (fl ror projeots sp o nror sd b y l c o untr In cooperation with ths l%daal Works Frogrsa8 

administration or its auec888ors 

11 

g) for general 

rsllsi and obarltabls purpo888~ h ror ps ylng 

ths lntsrsrt and 8fnkfng iund on ~JI OUtStUding 

Loaded lndebtednrsr 0r tA8 county; r i) ror assirtix@ in the developeot of narigation. 

*Sea. 5. -20 C~~SSIO~~~S' CCU~ l m rwthsr authorizsd, out ci any of ths taxes henln 
L 

. 

donated and granted to their res~ootlvs oountlsa, 

to oontraot with tim Govs~sing board or any River 

ruthurl ty or .:atsr X&prorsmsat Cls triot, whlob 

aey laolu68 til or say part oi ruoh oaunty, to 

psrforu oonatruotion works for such Firer Aut!arlty at ‘+etsr Ieprovsnsnt Dirtriot, or to rot &ride 

any ?art, or all, ct the taxes harsh donated 

and granted to such oaunty, for the ua oi saoh 

2Irsr riuthotity or Yatar Improramnt Dietriot la 

retiring its bondod fndsDtaQasss, or ior the use 

of such ?Irer Authority or itatsr Improrsmsat Dlrtrlot In carrying out any other purposs or purposer ior nhioh such Xver Authority or Xater Improre~a8 Dirtriot aas craatsd. 

"Sso. 6. Ii any asOtlon, subssctlon, puagraph, ClaUBS, ssntsnoe, or word of thla Act or 

tha l pplioatioa thcrsof to any parson or olrsu~mstsnos is hsld Intilid, suoh holding ahell not 

airsot the valldlty of t!m renainlng proviaionr 

of tarn Aot; and this LagIslatms hersby daolmss 

that It wdld have pcsssd suoh rsmalning portions 

doepit. suoh 1nra.l Idity. 

"ESO. I. ‘The f aot that sash county in Texas 

has suiterea nourrlnq tlrOU~~t@ and flOod* oaualng loss of lire, earlour damage to anb dsrtruotlon o? property and dsep aad uid88pread s?titsring 

end dlatrsesr, oonstltuting a pabllo oelaity lo 

eaoh auob county; end ths iaot that aid from thr 

State Is nsceasery to enable moh oountfes to 

yrersnt and to ninImla8 the son**quenoe* of mourmncs of rush oalamltfss, srsats aa smsrgsnoy 

and an imperatlvs gubllo nsos8sity dmmding that 

tha Constitutional Xule requiring b111a to be 

reed oa three ssrsral daya In saoh F?cuss br swpsndsa, and ths *MS ls hsrsbg *uspendsd, and 

this bt shell ta k srfsot e l r;d b in for08 trol 

md after lts~paaaags, and it la no snaoted.” 

You will rsoall tht a similar bill uas parsed by 

tbs ?orty-sixth Lsglrleture, that IS Ssn8t8 Bill 30. 2.24, 

ntich was held to be unconatltutIonal by the Della6 Court 

of ilril ~~psals in the case of k’o’hnbs, at al v. hllar 

county, et al, 136 S. k:. (al) 995, The Suw-ams Court role*4 
e wtit cl error kn a wrltt6n Opinion. Ullee County v, 

t'occmbr, 140 2. '(. (2d) 1109. The Court at Ciril APQ.38 

held that eeld 2. 3. 824 rlolat@U SoOtIOn 9 of ~rtlelo 8, 

se0ti0fi i 0r idid a, hotion 1 or wti0i0 3, s00ti0n 

18 of -rtlole 5, an4 Sootion 3s or et1010 3, of the Steto 

conati tutloll. .380, that It wa# violative ot &lob 0 

.eotlon 6, of our Conrtltution Fn two mqmota, rlnt (ij 

a8 an apprQpriatiO8 It war no? *OpOo:rio* u thweia nquirod, and (2) it was EP appropriation tot longor than 

two yaem, 

-:a believe the Court a? Civil Appeals rar oorteot 

in aach of lte holdln68. ~+ Supmm Court, la it8 opinion, 

bald that the Aot r1olat.d tint part oi wtlolr 8, Sootion 

6, of the Constitution, limiting apprapriatlonr to two yrrm. 

Aa to the other Polntl), thht court da -WI OX ma4 m 0pitb 

ion on ths other constItutional quartions into P ~4, a8 It 18 

Got ncoeasery ?or u6 to 40 00. 

‘%a Aat thu8 held imatia 0olltalaed l eta tek a nt 

that “these coudtler ---hare, from tlm to time, been vi6fte4 

with publio celealtloe oi one kind ot another.” l!hr 8upm6m 

COUti S0j0OtOd the OOkIt03tiOLI EL& by Dilla COW&t tbt thr 

&it oould be auatainrd aa a grant under tha oalmltg olausa 

of Artlclo 5, Ceotlon 51, oi #a Conatltutlon, in thla lmguagrt 

“It will ba noted tht tha rborr-quatad 

emmgenay alauae oontalM ttU Statement1 ** l + 

and for the further ttsot thqt thaw aountler 

not having hemtofore raoeired 8uoh donationa 

ano sppropriatlona hare, rmpl tice to time, 

bean vlslted,ti~t$ pub110 oaleinitlrr oi,o~ar*$nd 

or Mother, omata an ezargenay 

It aee~ to be oontenQa4 by plalntiiia in e&or 

+Let the above-quoted pOI%QSk 0i tN6 bt OM 

be treated 88 a 1eglrlatlVs find- that a MOl relty rxlatr in a11 OoUlltle8 Mu*fltad b# t&la 

r;mnt or appropriation ior 'rid lo oaa66 oi publla oalarelty.' a6 provided for In Sootion 51 d 

*rtialo III OS our state CoMtlt~Ltlon, e?lpra* 

10 our ~lnbs, the :.t‘oye attupt to cake a find1~: or ';ukilio calamity falls far abort Of 

zeetinq the re~uiramantr Of t.h* CO~tttUtiOMl 

p~ulsipn just nrntlonad. X0 attempt 18 ccad* t0 
~:occrcl:Le .iu:us:ins felaya, !:hairt26n, i’ere S .A 

dsflae the klnc? or charaotar cf ‘gubllo oaluzlt~.* 

In hot, It is l xpmsaly stated that auoh oalae~ities are 'OM klnc! OL another,' 

50 general, vagts, 

Zuoh find- Is 

and indetlnlte a6 to emouat 

to nothlrig. -Lo glra rfirot to suoh findin(l would 

‘3 to nakr a travesty cr that part oi Sootion 51 

of Artlclo III or our Constitution which &l~a 

the L6gialsture to grant aa ‘in 06666 of pubiio 

odemltg. *’ 

2m only errort made in the present bill to correot 

the tloaa in the old Aot la rspmarntaa by E*otloar 1 ma 

7 or this :.. )~'. 30. 5. It 16 our opinloa thet t!m oonatlt~tioncd objeotlons to the bill h8re not been ramovod, ?h6 

deoleratlon in the pm6ent bill "t?At in rroont yuara reourring droughta and floods hare ooourmd In -etarr county 

In Texas, oauaing 1066 of life ena auitaa to and deattruotion 

of property to the utmnt of millions o? dollars ud ooo~alo~ 

fng deep and ri~eapre~d surfsring and ~16tre86 caoag th6 Inhabitsat or each of suoh oountlra; thet ruoh taotr oonstltuto 

thr ooourmno~ of a publis oilamity to aaoh of aaid oountlaais just M senor6l, -e&u6 rni laderfnlte, to 6U prrotlaml 

. purposes, as the statement In th6 other hat so oonde~sd by 

the ~~uprez~~ Court. 

310 oalsmlty ~16~66 in iitlala 3, Srotion 81, o? 

the Conrtltutlon, wan not intended to provldm a rrhfole for 

the tiole66le tre3zier of sonsy rram one oonstitutioaal fund 

to anothar. Tt vas written into the Conatltutloa to arable 

:he Staie es 6 rxle to oxtend mllsf to thoaa parts of its 

ames wfiloh rro= tims to time might bs l trlokea with auoh 

aalaEltous vlait~t?ons aa rim, flood, tenpast an6 dirraaa. 

X? the declarations in this blJS we true l ab oonmtltuto a 

pub110 oalamlty, then the whole St6te, reoh 6nd every county 

in it, has boon ln 6 oondltion of pub110 oalaraity rinoa beior6 

the Conrtltutlon was wrltt6a. tioptlng tlm word6 o? Judge 

Crltt, 'TO dv6 afr6Ot t0 SUCh l r india g UOtdd k t0 mlk@ 

a trevoaty of that part of Sootion 51 of Artioh 111 o? our 

Constitution whloh allow6 the Legislaturs to errant sld la 

066e6 0r public calamity." 

Pours iery truly