THEAITORNEY GENERAL OFTEXAS GROVRR SRLIJXRS Auwrme' 11.TEXAS A-- ammmuA&
HonorableC. H. Cevness State Auditor Austin, Terns
Deer Mr..Cevnessr opinion No. O-5010 Rer Dispositionof funds in dormant bank eooounts belongingto iwates of State penitentiaries.
Your requestfor en opinionupon the above subjectmatter is es follows*
"This is to respectfullyrequestyour opiniones to what is to be do& in the followingsituationwhich has come to our attentionduring the ooursc of our' ourrentaudit ofthe eoeountsend recordsof the Texas Prison System:
'Therehisa cesh balanceof #3,265&4 in e Huntsville Hank in en accountentitled 'RschsetFund* which rep resentsmoney that belongsto, or has ,belonged to, in;,, '~~~Y~y_~,~,; metes who hers escapedor died or, in same dnstences, been diseherged(end presentwbcreaboutsunlu~me~) -- " all of whom have failed to get their money. The eocount dates beck over e long period of years and has been grad- ually built up with depositstransferredfrom another bank eocountin which.iskept the active accountsof the imuetes'personalfunds.
"Whet shouldbe done with these funds?"
h the funds mentionedby you constitutean accountwhich has been dormantfor such time as to authorizean escheatproceeding,the pro- cedurais euthorieedand definedby Article 3273 of the RevisedCivil Statutesof Texas, whioh reads as follows:
"When the distriotor countyattorneyshall bs informed,or have reasbn to believe,that any estate, reel or personal,is in the conditionspeci- fied in the precedingarticle,he shell file e s~rn petitionwhich shell s et forth a descriptionof the estate,the name of the person last law- fully seieedor possessedof same, the name of the tenantsor personsin actual possession,if any, and the names of the persons claimingthe cs- tats, if any such erc known to claim or.whos claimmey be discoveredby the axerciseof reasonablediligence,and the facts end circlrmstsncea in consequenceof which such estate is claimedto havs escheatedand the Howrabls C. Ii.Caress, page 2 (o-6010)
'diligence&xercisadto liiscovcrthe claimautsof same, pruyizgthat sac!; property,b escheatedand for a writ of posssssion'cherefor in bek.alfcf the State."
We jlaudyou hzreviith copy of cur OpinionNo. O-5644,sd!r;fc- sed to HonoraI?leJesse Jsmcs,State Treasurer,dealingwiththe sma .;xes- tioas that you present.
Verytruly yours
ATKXNEY GEBEBbLOF TEXAS
By /s/Ode Spear
Ocie Spew Assistant