Case Information
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.- ~FFIOEOFTHEA~~ORNEY GEN~~~ALoFTEIU~S
. t JiUsTlN _' -c.wur -- .
lionorable tiOr& 8. GhepQtWd
Comptroller of. Publio Aooounts
Austin, .Texas
. . w-
Doer Sir:
:Rer .Diatribu
relating to the above matter.
letter reoei*ed iron General
nG the Dmd mong all laina to pensions hsve d, shall. we teke into of deceased penaloners ed and filed?
inp, this quos- , -1942 balance uhen the I$!+2 ad velorez~ tax psy?rents will bogin to coxie in. The gaqz3nt.a iron the fund in Say were S67r743.95. Yach. succeeding aonth the paymnts will decline in Lxeging with the decline in the It is our estiziate t&at at numb-r 0: penaio~ors.
the end of Ociobcr, but before any of the new year’s
> : .I i [*] ., [1] .’ ,.
.’ .,
honorable worge Ii, Sheppard, Page 2
!
taxes me Gsposited to the fund there’klll be [8]
balance of ag?roximtely -~~721,OOO.C0 In the fund.”
You do quote fkon a report rr.sde by the Et&e Auditor dated yebruary 28,,1942, whiob $ndioates,that In the last ten years approrimtely 31,12l+,987.0,2 heve.been spent in xc8intaining hones Sor Confederate sen $nd wonen which sm does not include an annual edniuistration expense of the Conptroller'o Department in an approximate mount of $?,OCO.OO
You edvisc that it has been suggested that the sur- flea% the Confederate Fension I'uud be.:use& to,repky the last .~,. : rcsntionea tmouuts; . . . : ..: i
For t& purpose of thle.o&&&~we nkd~'c&sider‘ ,' only the folio-w;ua provisions of the Constitution qud statu- . : ., ,. i . . _. tory laws:
'Artibiti ~I?% Seotion a, of .th’e CorAitution of Texis, provides as foilo~sr
*The Legisiature'shall hqve'&~~Doker to u&e, : " sny @ant or authorize-the mkin~of arg,.grsnt
of pub110 moneys to euy lndividual,'aasooiation of individuals, .,~~olpal or other corporations whatsoever; provided, ~ho'tiever, 'the S,eglnlature~&p grant aid to SndiSent and disabled ~CqnfedaraCe.;sol- diera and. seilors ur?d.er kuch rcEulatiotis and lo%& tations es my be demed by the Lczislatura’ as’ ex- podlent. end to their ~Ldows in iucimnt oiroB:- etances un&?r such remulstions snd lirultetions as nag be d.ee~ed by the Lori.sl~nture 8s ermdient; . .
.~ . and also gxmt for the estsblisizmt e!:d main- teoancc of a, hoge for said ‘soldiers and eriilorn, their vioes end v;idom acd v:o~:cu uho side6 in the ;y*:~:-~Cdnfea*‘, VS.‘ rc!c.~,,,~~der~..~~hh-:raCuis.t3.0~3 and~llx3.tat,ioqe:
as p.ey te provided’ for by law; provided the Lcgis- lature cay ~provide for hushacd cud wife to rszain together in the horn.. Th’%exe is hereby levied in addition to cl1 other taxes heretofore u&ref.tt”cd bye the Cocstitutlon of Texas, a State nh vcloren. tax on proncrty ~of 3ewn f&07) ccnta oa the 030
hundred (.ziiOO) dollars valustion for the purpose of orcstins B special fund for the poymmt of pen- eionu for zervico~ in the Confedorute 6m.y and navy, frontier ori:anlzaZions 6nd~ the r:lliti~a of the State *3 ._ .’ .
,’
mnorable~~George 8. +epperb, . .
or Texas; ana for the v&lo;vs or such soldier3 serv- nevies, orfganlzations or mill- ing fin 3cia srz!la3, * . tic!; provided that the'ic~islature lcay reauce ths tax rate herein IcvioC, and providea further, that the. provisions of thi3 section &hsll.not be con-.
strucd DO aa to sreveot the gml;t of ala ~ln,c3303 of pub110 oalanLty.n .(Undersoorin& ours) ‘. .‘. .’ \'; Artlole',6221, V., A, Cy !ZLi p~ovid&a3 follow3r . .
. .._ *Cn the 1st &y oi'eaoh &a%& m&t& the Co&troller ~ehall.-psy to.eeoh refried mteren w&o is living with. his wire, B pension or i%rty Dol- lars ($50.001 per nonth.Zor as-long 33 they both may live, anil sfter the deeth.or either party, .then’ the said .yeteren or hL oPla0w stilly living shall only.araw en einount equal :to other vetcrsns or ,tbeir widowa. . To. cash Veteran now ukarrled or a wiaower or. wMow who ‘13 'Xlrewln& 9 pension or whose application mzy.be hersafter approve&, :-shsill be pai& the ‘EU~ .oi’ 'Twenty-five I)oll3re ($25.00) pei? wonth for 'ee h&h mcr, and tho remainder or saia jennion fund (3fter rcinbu--'-- A%- ---.---- Revenue ma ror 8nY eavancfn3cnt t 1 the
tall. be ef4 u&W moratiea aEong 811~ _, claS.r33 toe-~ensiors have ,-shod ..s~o riled. %I.1 :peksions sh$Q be- &In on the first dey.or 'tho calenaar month follow- ,inti: the approve1 of the smlioation.* (fsnderecor- -- :’ ., ing our%-- :’ ',
_. We:eh3vo.bee& unable to rin& ahy~anthor$tles k&oh speoiiipal~g,~relate~~to‘y~our 'questioss ana~ em therefore. rele- Eated to e oonsiberation~of'the geasrel ooestruotlons plsoet: on ponslon lews ana to an interpretation of th3. statute3 ana constitutional provisions applying to our'partiouler groblens.
"Thb unquest%omdru~e'io that a pension wanted by public authorities 13 not 3 oontxoct- uol obl5gti.m but a gxstuitous allowance, in ,tho cOnCinuaocc of u;hich the 2)msionar hss CD vesten rights; snfi that a pemion is acc0rili;lgl.y terma- blo at t&i0 vii11 017 th0 grtthtO?, either ~ii> vkole or ..
Ronorable Georie R. mappard, P&e k :..
*a , in part." 21 R. C. I,., s8OtiOn 7, page 242, et seq. D8% 8160 32 T. J. pp..769 et Seq.; 54 A. L.
R. pp. 943 et se?.; Chalk v. Darden, 47 Tex. 438. k'e observe th@t th8 QCUStitlltiOIlti PrOViSiOn r8-, latingto Uonfederate pensions above does notoontain any '.speciriio langueg8 0ontrOlling the dietribution 0r the rmd
oollaoted thereunder but speoifioallp aeys that *the'l.egis- lature may grent.%ld. 6~~ .~ under such regulations and Mimi- tetiona as may be deemed es expedient". In pursueno to the above constitutional authority the Leglsletur8 enaoted Arti- 018, ‘6221, V:A. c.. s .,.whioh contains the only provisions derinit8 dire&ions iOr llOw On th8 StfAtUtWS W3tth[i forth .i., .paying 8Uoh pehsions; f&i018 6,221, 89 above set Out, pro- vides thet each marri8d.Yeteran shall reoeiveyifty Dollars per month and each unmarried vetcran, wid0~8r or widow; shall be paid the.sum of Twenty-rive Dollars .pcrmonth and then states "the remainder or. said penf&on fund. . ..shall be equally proreted emonE 811 or said pansloners whose claims to pensions h&V8 been6stablished eod ii18dw. This 18St quoted~ cleusa~do8s not ,stipulete whather such remainder shall be equally prorated.to married .end. unmarried veteran8 or widows 8lik8; when such~.proration~should be oaltulated or mede; or'whether or not 'the claims ot d8086Sed pensioners shonld be oonsldered in such proration..-
The general WI8 &i to ind8rinite provlslons’of is that such portiono ere unenforoeable ~88 is dhovn- sttatutes by the following quotetionr
*An eot o+ the Ie&slatdre, to hnve.tha force and efreat 0r a law, mustbe intelligibly,expressed.
Xhere the term3 of an aot.are co vague a8 to Oonv8y "no definite nuanlng to those vhose duty it Is to oxecutc it, ni~~steyi~a,lly.o~~jud~cfally, it is in- j
~op6rotlvs. w 5g'Corpiis'JuriS. pp.. 691 et seq. ~fss also 25 R. C. L. pp. 810 et seq and authorities there oited.
The authorities indio%te thst such unQnfOroe%bl8 provisions zay be %opsratcd ani! rerralni2~ portfons of the stot- ut8 e&forced.
~klthou$~ an ect is open to thooritlciam of lndefinitcncss and uncertnicty~as to eo:de ot Its provisions, such -fact will not render lt.vold
:.~ _.... - 4% -&norable George &Sheppard! P8ge 5 ,.
r0F unoertainty in Its aore esro&lal pr&lsions' so long as they 8~8 capable of enlor~emmt, or ' ' in so far as the other provisions of the sot axe
oleerend ds~lnlto.n 59 Corpus JuI'i8. 2~. 604.
%Q also 25 3.C.L. pp. 511 et seq. and authori; ties oited..
.-ieniions euoh 88 thorn under disoussion ere gI-;FatL& tous allow8nc88 vihioh should,be detinitoly provided for by statute. ' bh8n w8 observe how. inderin~te is the language ln Article 6221 IT. A. C.S. whichrefers to eny rersinder in th8 Coafederate Fension i?und, we cennot .esoepe the conclusion that~ such ,lenguage mist reii; -although the.other portions or this statute are definite and tbbra~ore eriforce8bLe. ', I' .._,:
you 8r.e th&eio2& 8dvised“that th&rplua.in th8 "Confederate ?ension Tuna' is not~subjoct.to~proratlon enong
said penslonere atid ,that itis our opinion thet ~0 peymnts may be ztade ir@a said fund except those specifically sot out i&the statutes ieleting thereto. This anaVer precludes the neoessity ior's reply.to your other questions. '~~ c-Yours very truly:.'
OF TE?xAs