Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1941 )

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 flnd8 and dr- olarac tht a publio oalardty lu c b na tu r e l# to untie8 to take rtopr to pro- lta thr oanrequenarr of a re- Ihat 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 do- nated or apyrapriatsd, inaluaing sd raloru taxes OE ths rolling stock bslonglng to rsil- road oonp5n2*s, tilch shall bs lsosrtainsd and apportions& as non proridsd bt law. Ths tusr hereby Conatsd and grsntsd shsll bs lsttsd ti lssrsmd 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 oolleot- ing 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 coun- tr 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 imprors- rants ta prsvsnt soil sroslon and for roll ooa- senatlon purpossr~ (d) ior irrigation and dmin- a88 projeots~ (e) cooe*rtatlon and ntllfzatlon o r nator; ( f l ror projeots sp o nr o r sd b y l c o u n- tr In cooperation with ths l%daal Works Frogrsa8 administration or its auec888ors g) for general rsllsi and obarltabls purpo888~ 11 h ror ps ylng ths lntsrsrt and 8fnkfng iund on ~JI OUtStUding Loaded lndebtednrsr 0r tA8 county; r i) ror assirt- ix@ in the developeot of narigation. *Sea. 5. -20 C~~SSIO~~~S' CCU~ lm rw- thsr authorizsd, out ci any of ths taxes henln . donated and granted to their res~ootlvs oountlsa, to oontraot with tim Govs~sing board or any River L 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!ar- lty 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 Dlr- trlot In carrying out any other purposs or pur- poser ior nhioh such Xver Authority or Xater Im- prore~a8 Dirtriot aas craatsd. "Sso. 6. Ii any asOtlon, subssctlon, pua- graph, ClaUBS, ssntsnoe, or word of thla Act or tha lpplioatioa thcrsof to any parson or olrsu~m- stsnos 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.lIdity. "ESO. I. ‘The f aot that sash county in Texas has suiterea nourrlnq tlrOU~~t@ and flOod* oaua- lng loss of lire, earlour damage to anb dsrtruo- tlon 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 m- ourmncs 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 sw- psndsa, and ths *MS ls hsrsbg *uspendsd, and this bt shell ta k srfsot e lr;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 3, of the Steto or et1010 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 n- quirod, 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%QSk0i tN6 bt OM be treated 88 a 1eglrlatlVs find- that a MO- lrelty rxlatr in a11 OoUlltle8 Mu*fltad b# t&la r;mnt or appropriation ior 'rid lo oaa66 oi pub- lla 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 find- 1~: 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 .A S dsflae the klnc? or charaotar cf ‘gubllo oaluzlt~.* In hot, It is lxpmsaly stated that auoh oalae~i- ties are 'OM klnc! OL another,' Zuoh find- Is 50 general, vagts, 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 oonatl- t~tioncd objeotlons to the bill h8re not been ramovod, ?h6 deoleratlon in the pm6ent bill "t?At in rroont yuara re- ourring 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 In- habitsat or each of suoh oountlra; thet ruoh taotr oonstltuto thr ooourmno~ of a publis oilamity to aaoh of aaid oountlaa- is 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 ltrlokea with auoh aalaEltous vlait~t?ons aa rim, flood, tenpast an6 dirraaa. X? the declarations in this blJS we true lab 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