**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 ucbnaturel#to



## untie8to 

## takertopr to 

### prolta thr **oanrequenarr of**  **a re** 



### Ihat **for** a **period** 

### or **fir0 (51**  ywasr, be&&g 81th tb tuablr year 194a. thrrr 18hereby **donated and**  **granted bt**  tho state or Texas to eaoh rappoctiie county bf thfr State, one-half of the State 86talorea taxen oollaoted for **general** rc~enuc purFwe8

### upont& property and from 

### the psrsonr la 

### rash

rerraotlrt= countr, ssoept those heretofore **do** nated or apyrapriatsd, inaluaing sd raloru taxes OE ths rolling stock bslonglng to rsil

### road oonp5n2*s, tilch shall bs l sosrtainsd and apportions& as nonproridsd bt law. Ths tusr hereby Conatsd and grsntsd shsll bs lsttsd ti l 

### ssrsmd andcollsotsd a#

### nowprotid81I 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 allmoneys oollsotsd bxhla 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*saingand oolleoting the saps, and shall Sciruerdaduplioats copyof thsrsoslptssit-en him

### by ths County 

### Treasursr tor 

### raid money to ths Ccmptrollsr.

“sec. 5; :~Othin8la 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: andoollsotsd 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 taprsvsnt soil sroslon and for roll ooasenatlon 

### purpossr~ (d) ior irrigation 

### anddmina88 projeots~ 

### (e) cooe*rtatlon and ntllfzatlon
ornator; (flror projeots sp onrorsd byl c ountr In cooperation with ths **l%daal Works** Frogrsa8 administration **or** its auec888ors **11 g)**  for **general** rsllsi and obarltabls purpo888~ h ror psylng ths lntsrsrt and 8fnkfng iund on ~JI OUtStUding Loaded lndebtednrsr 0r tA8 county; ri) ror assirtix@ in the developeot of narigation.

*Sea. 5. -20 C~~SSIO~~~S' CCU~ lm 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 ruthurlty or .:atsr X&prorsmsat Clstriot, 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 

### bondodfndsDtaQasss, 

### 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. ‘Thefaot that sash county in Texas has suiterea nourrlnq tlrOU~~t@ andflOod* 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 thsiaot 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 take 

### srfsot l

r;db in 

### for08 trol md after lts~paaaags, andit la no snaoted.”
Youwill 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*4ewtit 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 9of ~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 Itwar no? *OpOo:rio* u 

### thweia nquirod, and (2) it was EP appropriation tot longor 

### than twoyaem,

-:abelieve 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. Aato the other Polntl), thht court da -WI OXma4 m 0pitb ion on ths other constItutional quartions into ~4, a8 It 18 P Got ncoeasery ?or u6 to 40 00.

‘%aAat thu8held imatia 0olltalaed l etatekant that “these coudtler ---hare, fromtlm 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 

## ttsotthqtthaw 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%QSk0i tN6 bt OM be treated 88 a 1eglrlatlVs find- that a MO

### l 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‘oyeattupt to cake a find1~: or ';ukilio calamity falls far abort Of zeetinq the re~uiramantr Of t.h* CO~tttUtiOMl p~ulsipn just **nrntlonad.** X0attempt 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! OLanother,' 50general, vagts, Zuoh find- Is and indetlnlte a6 to emouat to nothlrig. -Loglra 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 madein the present bill to correot the tloaa in the old Aot la rspmarntaa by E*otloar 1 ma 7or 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 toaaoh 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.

310oalsmlty ~16~66 in iitlala 3, Srotion 81, o? the Conrtltutlon, wan not intended to 

### provldma rrhfole for the tiole66le tre3zier of sonsy rram one oonstitutioaal fund to anothar. Ttvas 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 

### inthis blJS 

### we true l

### aboonmtltutoa pub110 oalamlty, then the whole St6te, reoh 6ndevery 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 rindiagUOtdd 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