*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
Bonorrblo J. 5. Xurohlron
Bresutfva Dlraotor
State Dopsrtaunt of Publb woli8n
Aurtln, Tbxar
mar sir:
"DOOB the 1
oxpbnaad par yea
Depondeat Wdld
0r the a0mf
ther llaitetton~, rbatrio- be providbb by law, thb 0 ($12) per moath for 8UOh ohll.er*n that tki bBIoU& t0 b0 out 0r m4t9 r&i&- one MklliOll, nre Hundred Thousand Dollar8 ($L,500,000) per Y-r. The Legi31~ture may impore residential reetrlotloa~ 8pd mob other reatsiotion5, limltetlons, end rwdla- tionrr 6P to it zlay sreasxpedlent. (%aphsei# OWE)
Bonerable J. 9. Muohlaen, Page 8
“The Lsglslaturo ahall have the authority to eoobpt rmm the Ooverment or the Vnlted State8 8uoh flnenolal eaalatinos ta destitute ohlldren aa that Ooverment my 0rr0r not i5oonelatmt wltb the restriotione herein above provlC00.~ The ghraus Wuoh aeaistenoe* 88 first used in the above oonatitutional provision refer8 qmoifioally to t.ho and twelve Bollam, not oath payments to reoipisnta or eight inoluding any adminlstratlvo l xpelue whloh might hero boon inaurred kn making suoh paymentr. seams reasonable to It l uppos6 that the fmme phrase, Vuoh 888i8taxi~b” ShOtid bb given the aan% zeaniry when uaad ior the inoond tim, In the l ama a*ntono6, rith r43reronoa to the #1,800,000 annual Mmlta- tioa.
It la not without a&nlfioaaob, we think, that In the oognata oonstitutlonal sm6ndmnt8, Sootion Slb authorizing old age aaeiatanos puymmrnt.8 and Sootion 610, authoriring aid to the needy blind, thsro was providmb a slnilar llmitatien upon the amount of aaalstanoe which might ba pai4 to oaoh reolpiaat, but no limitation upon the sd.minlstretlvs expondl- tursa nhioh might be rrsds in order 0rre0tividp to diatributb the l srletrnoe authorized. saotion sld la awrw reatrlotivb than thm greoadin& two amand:~entir in that It plaoaa a limita- tlon upon the total annual bmefit paymmht6 to beatitutb OhildTbn.
It ia our opinion that thr $lrWOrOOO annual limitation \~pon the amount thst may ba spent ror auaiatano~ to dsatltuta ohildren, a8 oontalnfd in Artiola III, Ssotlon 51.6 0r the Tbxsa ~onstitutlon appliers only to aotuel bensilt payments, and tbst the Leglslatum la authorlrod to appropri~ata In to .$1,5oo,c~oo aa5ually r0r timit paymbnta to ddition deatltuta ohlldren, suoh further 8uma a8 it may deem to ba neoessary ror the cffioient atmnistre.tion ot the pro&?rema
By77kl..GQ?L~
4slter R. Yooh heei6teUt ERXtJP