Case Information
*1 i. , - ~--.- OWICE OF THE ATI’ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AU8TlN euul.Do.~ lrnouloaay
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Ronorable i¶elvla C. Eldean, Ymbeh Ronorable i¶elvla C. Eldean, Ymbeh EOard Or Regent8, State Tea&me EOard Or Regent8, State Tea&me COnO608 COnO608
Runtsvllle, TeXae Runtsvllle, TeXae
I. Your rii8t two queetlonr inquire whetbbr it is man- datory under.the Retirement dot that faoulty m6mbers of the Teacher8 Colleges' be retired,rlthout exaeption, upon their reaching age reventy. Seotkon S.of the Teacher Retire;oont Act, 88 amended by Chapter 377, Acts of ~ths 48th Legialatare~ (Art. 2922-1, Vernon's Annotated Civil %&Ute8) provides for volun- tary retirement %anbersn Of the Retlrernent 3ylltellI at age *2 ilonorable Llelvvin"C. iildsbi, page'f2
sixty, if the member shall tive caupletad twenty or more year9 of "oreditable 8ervlcem 80 drflued by the Aot; the sma section further provldest
aAny member in'aervioo who [438] ettalned tl1O qe 0r 8eVwfl0) year8 ehnll be retired forth-
By it8 axproos term, therefore, ths Act proVidU8 for tie ran-voluntary retlranont et age creventy 0r only those employ008 or the TeaO,hors cO113ge8~vho~er6 %enborsn 0r the F;ctIremnt $ystem, no't>&t term iq detined by Section 3 of the Act, a8 ameudedl,and, even.88 to members who reaoh ssventg yours of age, it ia prixided that-y remain in sorvioe with tho approval 0r their employare. There I8 no r9qulrenfmt contaiued in t.59 Rstircuaent Act, therefore, that mambars or ti-19 faolrlties of tho TOnch0r8 Collegem bo retired without exceptlm, upon thdr~raaohing seventy year8 0r ~0. If such persona aro member8 of the Teacher RetIreneat System, thby nag rf2sd.h in SOrViCC 8rtor I&p3 80V3nty Otiy Upon, the S.rrbiIELtiVe sj.~20Vnl Or tholr OP lo rsl but, if suoh approval ia give, ma-Aors of tim SJ’S OSI IStly OOlltinue in SWViOS. Rettim*
II. r Your third and fifth questions relsta to tim sane &em&l inquiry, aad will be COn8ider9d to&iiier; ci~sy are a0 follow9:
"(3) Sir.09 each a011989 ha8 a local cox- nittee calposed Or ttiee Of th0 E&gent8 eelectod from the Board, Should they be inveat9d with the power to decide to retain or dl8mIss member8 0r the ra:acultT who have reached t3e age seventy should this nili% be by the entirs Board in- stead of tie uomittoe?
iionomblc C. Xid8On, Pa&o $3
"(5) ifho i8 the OmplOyer Of a member Of the ra0uity who reach08 seventy year8 of 820 or more - the Dosrd 0r Regent.8, the locnl cr?;nittco, or the pre8ideXt of the COlle~o?"
In the sense of t29 ultinate, the State of ToXas fo t-i-2 onployer 0r members of tk0 r30ulti93 0r i&e sovo201 Stat0 Tonckxws Colleges. On Its behalf, howover, the Dowd of Re- ;ents of the State Foachers Collo~es by law is 'ckaza-;ed with tim ro3po~IbIlity of fhe @moral colltrol 3nd z~ns~c:~nt of. all State Teaohers Collo~ee for white persona CA X.Z~ % C -;I enploy aud dIsahrir;;e pre3ident8 or priricipaln, tozckzs, trtxto- w3rs and other 91&07098t 0 9 0 ." ~(ArtiCb 2247, 'i'braX1'3 Araotatsd Civil Statutes.) The continued cr,plo;?.%cnt cL’ tkc several faculty saber3 of the State Teachers Colfo;2o, tllsrc- fore, ia expressly dependent upon the'exeraiso of tlls pxcr of the Eoard of Rezents to mploy such persons on behalf of t‘% State under tho authority oonferred by tho quoted otntute. ~~~ S;'e oasgl!%e frcm your qUe8tiXI3, howovcr, Lab hour
/ lnquiribs~~relfite'~to mz%tirmentn uader~ tAe 'fe?lc~~r,'I!jt.~renent Act, rather~'than to tensiilation of services by’~irilrih~cl or bj failure of the Roard of Regents tzo aontinue the coztract of X8 above ob8erved, th0 iW&wmnt Act oaployaent In err9Ot. provide8 for automatic, non-voluntary retiremnt 0: zmbcrs of the RetireZmnt Sy8teIn upon their roaching the ago of %?~entg ye.9281 but it is provided that such a member my rcmati in apjjroval service "with plicable to' ezsployees of the
"c:~ployer* as wad in thl8
5 or L.-ection 1 of the Retirment Act as follo~sr
n '&ployert s'hallm~an the ?tate of Texas and any of ita deslmted &Sent8 or agencies with reapon8ibilIty end nuthority for public education, such a0 0.0 Q the board8 rei;onto State col- leges and *unIvorolties s +Y c .I'
- ..d . Honorable Rdelvln c. Eidson, pnco #4 Under the Ratlroment Act, thoreforo, .$&no zomr;era of the Rotirament system on tho. faculties 3f t:;a ':'oocnws* colleges, must retire rr0m aervlae, unZor3 the Roard of zese.ot3, by afflrmstlve action ap>rovos thair continuat:or in 3crviao of 7Z10 inetitutlon. Ce bcllove the above an3wrs j-::w fifth quaotlon.
Pour third question in affect inquires w::cL;ar t:ie Board of ReSenta may dalegsto to o committee of t; roz t~;o .~GFJ~ to decldo rhothor faculty mombecs who rccrci savcni~ yticr.3 of nRe sksll bo rotlred. Agoin, Re assumd t&t j-ir;* ii>.'.Jsti9r. ro- ht4S to thO34 enDlOY4OS i?lO BrB nt4dX?re OI" t29 ,'&ls.:es* .letiro- mont system. - - i ., 9.
A8 a (;enorsl rule; h .i3osrd or other ofl'&ial's e&n& wag dele;;ate to others tiia dlschar5o'of m&lotcrisl duti& which do not oall for the exeraioo of dlsaraticn; snd may not dolo&e to others the discharge of duties and functions atiah call for reason discretion. Rome Zoolocioal drana Co. v. cat2 of Lsllas, 45 s. ;:. (2il) 71~5~Sankntij;clo V. 575, 15 S. G. 4408’ Eoeohtm, Rii&rOwsnd French; DO. aem. 566, p. 36Ci; ,%4 Toxi'~ Jtii&" 459,cTrB...
airicora, .L _ ~, ..~, ".'i 1% see no violation of th& rule asinst deiloLation In selection by the Bcnrd of Zie&onta of authority, horrevor, of a committee of its members to review msndatory rotire:;ient aaaoa arlaing under tho ,Teaaher Retirement Act in too eovoral institutiona under their jurisdiation. Ths puLllc ',ood sub- sarved by the rule a&n& doloSation of powers 13 to ins-~-c the making of docislons of, pallag b7 the off iciols to si~om tk pnrticulsr dioorotlonary functiona ero entruatod; prcsuxably, they were soloctod to exorcise that~ JudDant or dlacrotlon bo- qouse the7 were deemed fit and aompetent. In the pressnt in- atmnce, however, the policy of rotlroment of mombars of the Teachor Retlramont System vh~n thay achieve th& &T-O of aevcnty yours Is the pub110 policy of the Stato declared bnw@ leS- lslative enactment; to this rule of r9tlreaont, t:he Act ~rovidea asl csccptlon; viz., ti%t mombsra over aevczty ma-j oohtinue tn Honor&lo Uelvln C. Eldson, pa;4 45 service upon tho approval of their Omploy4rs. b%ik33 ai'tiSl7l- ntivs aotlon of th4 employer approvirq continuation in aervico is taken, requiraslent that t&3 member retira fort:lrith up- on becoml~ seventy results by opuration at tke aiauuto. 3ir.c~ tho policy of retirement -hno been dotarminod 'os tii4 Lailalature, the discretionary authority v$lch ia loft ta Lc cxcrcisad by tine Ronrd of Rci;onts, as osploy4r under t2.e R!ctiror,Jnt Act, la not ahoth.zr to retire thoaa Rotirenont f.yat4z ;f-5~:b~ar5 cho be- come sevonty, but rath4r' shethor it shall affk~itiv~ly cpprovo continued 4mploym4nt in exceptional cases of such zomboro. .\s in the lnatanoe of ori:lnal cmplo-ymont of psrao.%?el, tho 3oard certaialg any dblet>te t?lS i&otion of invosti~a~fcll and rccozx- tendation to a oosnittoo of its mnbera; ar.d, if tLa Eoard ap- i;rovoa tho action of the comnitte4, insofar as it concern5 th4 contracts mado with 0-k continued employwnt of those persons v&o ar4 selected to read:1 in. service, it has not abdicatad. Its functions to its comsittoe. Russell v. Gaze, 66 Tex. 428, 1s. U. 270; Golvestor. Counti~ v. Gresham, (Tax. Clv. App.) 220 s. :';'. 561. Thoao m4mbors of th4 Rotiremsnt System nho reach mandatory retirement u:o, and who arc not rec~~onded by the conmitt for oontinuod service aro not diachar;:4d by the cow nittsc, nor rotlrad by tim Board; thy SiIilplg COnlC Kit&in til0 ;4noral rule of policy pr4ocribed by tne Le.;iclaturu t.=L til4y shall ratire upon arriving at a:;e eoventy.
III. Your last Inquiry is ambodied in your fourth ques- tion; viz:
"(4) If swcbors of the faculty aoventy yaars of aso should be roloased from active ssrvloo, should nersbers of the Board of iio- dents who are seventy be rotaiwd as members of t:be Eoord?”
As framed, the question seems to b4 ono of policy; 55 such it is beyond t:ko grovinco of this department to anover, for the dotermizatlon of zattors of policy in smh matter5 is Iionorable Melvin C. Eldeon, pa@ #S.
a legislative function. Conaldered,~homoer, as a q\lestioa vhether otiktotl~ lava ProYldo for retirment ot nmuors or the Doard of Rogmfs of the State Tercimrs* Collcps upon their roaching the a$p of eovsnty years, you are advised that t*hey do not.
Very truly yours Oaynor Kendall Assistant