OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OFTEXAS AUSTIN
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xmlorable CleirlcQ#rit-Jlt state Poaxd OS Contxol matin, Texas Eon. Clark Wright, mge 2
h-tiole 646, Revised Btntutea, is: "The 3onrd shall in all oases reservethe right to reject or acceptany md 011 bids, or reject In part if it pefers, aa In such ease they my buy in the open market until Q satis- factorybid 1s offered." ~eglslature in eetab- aad later tha State Board o? Controlwas to seourefor the statethe beet pribes possible. ur supremecourthas rooent1yin Caplesv; Cole 101 s. &?%H 189 Tex 970 decidedthe erreat0r resolutkl#J by the use of'thefol.l&ing'langtlsger
?It Is plainthat the rwolutloa not only uudartnkeato interpretcr m~~trru whnt the Od&nal not ooatninedbut n&so to read into m&id lnW vitmlsand intentions not eu~~~sed l.n t$o&alitl~ot. Statukeeeemnotbe amended . Resolutions-play their part lnourleglslativehletory,and em ofienre- sorted to ror the purpose of exprsrrrd~the will of the legl&.atua%, but atatutm eanmt be a~~smd- ed by resolutdor~i Statutes my be interpreted or oonstruedby the same of suoosetU.ng leglsla- ,turesin the manner proridedby the eonstitutien and uhile,suchproeeaum ie not Oontmlllng it is persuasivewith the courtsin eons- sta- ' tutaa. The oonetitutlon hfm clearly re~r$ad them&ode to be pursuedlntb enaeiiDle3 lams and tholr ansendraetis. Thr resolutiondoes not meet the requlmnents prasaribed~ by the eon- stitutionend, therefore,eennotbe aonsldered as amending the 1931 aat. We, met lnterpret the orl&xal aot as written.* &@.n 3.nthe City of asso v, KaCraw, 97 5. vi.(8) 717, I.27Tex. ¶268, the court saper "It. is true thlat it is proper to look to all.parts 0S the 1egiailatiYeaet, in6ludingthe body oi the auf, the captiotiand the eraergeacy olsuseto ascertainthe legirlativei&e&, m when such intentis once asoertalned,ft the law. In spitz? of t&Is mile, we think the words Clark wright* Page 3
of ths smsrgenayolauseto Chapter453, supra, wsre not Intended as a llmitatlonon the aot itselfbut merely expressthe construotion placed by thatle&ialuture on an act pessedby a prior legislature.stlohlegislativeaonstrua- tioW3.snot controlling; on the other hand, it la entitledto very littleweight.". In iumerousdecisionsthe courtshave laid dowu the rule that the publicpolicyof a atatemuat be determinedby lta 8otmtItntionlaws and judlolal declelonsand that a state has no publiopc&cy properlyoognlzablsby the oourtswhiah is not detrlvwl, or derivableby cl8er implIoation, fromthe establishedlaws of the stateas found ln its oonstltution, etatutesand judlolaldecisions. see 5o.c. J. 859, wyllls over- land Co. T. Chapman,206 a. W. QIS,Stirausand CoapanyY, Cana- dian PaoifieRailwayCompany,173 R. B. 964, and Week8Y. Nsw York Life Xb6urms Company, 35 A. L. R. 14SS.
WI, therefore,answer ymr qusstlonbpstatingthst the rssolutIonrsferredto in your Zettsrdoes net haps ths of mending or modifying the statutesoi the state In efi'ttot anywIsesad that a resolutloaoannotestablishthe p~ubllc policy of the at&e, but that the pubI. policy of this state Ie estab- lIshedby Its statutes,oonstltutionand oourt deeleiona and, thereiore,so tar as the Stats Board of'Conttille oonoerned, its dtitIe8ars sst out and the 1IndtsOS It0 pmmr6'srs prss- tmlbedIn the statutesand that this duty and tbls poww Is not In anyriseahangedby the resolution. In otherwoM$, the State Board of Controlhas the same powsrsand the fmas dissrstion whioh was