Case Information
*1 161 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
GROVER SELLERS AT-rORHPI GLNCRAL
.
Honorable n. E. oak.8 * ‘: [~j-,m county Attorney
Walker County” Tpxaa lfuntsville, "wY-"1~
Dear Mr. bates: Opinion Ro. O-7241
*AS County Attorney
been requested by Dr. Joe
678, Ret Rllgi-
I iLow present to Tou is re8lly 813 your statement that 'Speoi81 atrtu- tboee rhieh 8re mtrttly gener the spaOi81 PrOTisiOn Ot over tbe~ goner81 eliglbiYit~ ot Artiole 1, seotion 1, 8nQ espeai8lly 8s it rel8t8s to paragraph 4 Ot section 1.
'The Runtsrille Independent Bohoo'l blatriot. doe8 oonform to the county unit sph3m~of transportation and it reoeiren ao otber tms of aid, either tuition or sal8ry. and it does oompriae three or more oonsoll- dated districts and it OO?Itains tittJ squ8re miles Or it more ot terrlt.orf, is applying tor transport8- I
., . .
Bonorable XI. E. lk8tes - pa& 2
tibn 8'id'onlr on 8 transportation bPdgct wbioh
shows a aeeQ therefor on tbe b8dr 8nQ 8t r8te provided in this Aof- Wader these oircum- nt8ncesr is the-Hantsvll1e IndepcnQent Sohool
Distrlot ellgibje td reoeire such tr8nspert8-
tion aid only, irrerpcotire ot my proridan Of 8cotiOu 1, with the apprOr81 at the Direotcr of Equrl'itatiou and the Legisl8tirc AOOountaut?'
At ihc time your request dame iu thi8 Department W8s oou- J&ring tbe propriety O? a re-ooncidcr8tion O? Opinion No. O-23678, toaohiug the question involved, the result ot our ooutercnoes i8 the b8eis tor thir reply.
Tour question 0811s for 8 ooustruotion ot 8mrte Dill No. 167, Chapter 361 of the RcgUl8r Ses8ibn ef the 48th Legislrture, particulrrl~ Artioles I aad V thereof.
S&otioa 1 of Artiole 1 deils with general subjcot of Eligibility tor AiQr 8nd is 8~ folloTsr
l Sohol88tio Popul+tion of the Dietriot.
State 8id uuder the prcVicionc o? this Aat
C?b811 be Qirtributed in such 8 MJ 8s t0 8S-
si8t 8'11 sOhO0~ districts *hioh h81e not terer
th8a treaty (20) nor more th8a twelTe hundred
fittr (1260) o rigin8l exnmer8ted l OhOl8stioc
within the gr8de8 olrrsificd to taagbt re-
maining in dletriot riter transier8 out,
8ad aomcliQ8ted aaa/or rIar81 high cOhoo~ dlo-
triotr whlsb hare m 8VCr8gC Of act more thaa two htmdred (200) sohol88tiOe O? C8Cb Or:&81 ..~ . dietriot aoapccing the oontelid8ted. 8Qa/Or rumI high sohool dietriot unit; prorided th8t the MXimur littiktiOn8 88 t0 OhOl8Ct~O popu-
18tiou ellgibilit~ herein set forth rb811
not 8pply for 8ny tp Of 8id t0 my school
Qictriot rbioh ir nine (0) miles or more iu
lcugtb or OCllt8ill8 fort*-ci@lt (48) squ8re'
miles ot territory or more1 proriQeQ there is
not looated in suob distriot 8n iuoorporrted
oity or torn b8Tiag 8 PO 18tiCn Ot POM thaa
thirty-eix hundred (3600 iuh8bitants, eoorQ- v"
ing to the Irst preoeding Feder81 Ccnsust pro-
vided further, tb8t the maximum limitations 8s
to the sOhOl8stio pOpuL8tiou iOr eligibility, herein set forth, shsll not 8ppfy to any sohool
Roaor8ble W. l!, ater - p8gC 3
QistriOt whioh h8s forty-tits pcroeat (46$) or more of itm we8 nuhmergcQ. DictriCtc lmintaining 8 cohool 8t home uld h8rinC: lcsr than 8n’8vCr8gC at one CWis4r8tCd ohol8stio per square ails 8rc cxeapt from said aiuinqm sOhol8stio rcquircmcnt 8nd 8rc cli- 8id for one teaoher un~css 8 gcogr8phi- giblc i&y 4al barrier ncoessit8te8 th4 opcrati0u o? two 8OhOOls Sor the mme r8oe in s8id Qistriot, suoh geogr8phio81 bwricr to be determined by the 8trti Depsrtaent at EQnaaficn 8rQ eubjcot to the 8pprov81 ot the Legisl8- tire Aoocuuteat. If they aan sbor lmdgetary need 811 other distriOt8 hC7ing less than naid therotor, minimum 8Ohol8stiO rcquiremcnt shrll eligible for onlr tuition aad transport8tioa aid to the nerrest 80- oredited 6OhOOl Oa cnnmer8ted sObOl8stiO8 who80 grades 8rc not tbught in 8uOh distriot.
*All 8OhOOl distriots in this state rbioh hire rc- ocired trrrncportrtiou 8iQ.Only on 8 transportatiou bud- get, during the bicnniunt ending 'August 31, 1946, not- withstanding 8nr of prOTisiOns of any preoeding or 6Ub6CqUCut proricion of this Aot, shhall be rnthorirred to reoei?e s8me type ot 8iQ whioh It tormerly rc- oeirod to the ertant Oi ho Dollir8 (M.00) per month pi18 COtU81ly trausported rho Ii?6 per pupil on two 8fid one-hrlt 2 1/S? nil08 or more from school to 5" .rhioh they 8rc trrnsported~ pMIlded it 48n show trans- portation buQget8ry need tbcrcfor.
*Provided th8t sohool distriOt8 in ooWIttO8 h8ving 8 SOhOl8StiO pOpul8tiOn quiV8lCut t0 one-h8lt Ot olIC pupil per squrrc mile or 1686 in CCtirO CCtXuty m8y be exempt trOm the 87Cr8g4 daily 8ttCudanOC rCquiremCat 8nd the te8oher?pupil quOt8 FCqUircmCnt of this Abt, i?...~ It is so reoommcndeQ by the State Supcrlntendeat of Pub- 110 Instruotion 8nd 8pprorcd bl the LC~C~8tivC Aooouat- 8tlt, iOr the pclrlMMC Of m8int8ining 8 hi@ sohO .O? sir- teen 8ffili8t4d units, with SCVCn te8Oh4r8J but in no instanoe may the oost
tC tbC CqU81.iC8tiO~ fund uoced Dollars ($26.00) per pupil in suoh distrlot. Twenty-fire *Do cohool distriot 8ill be c1igible ior any type ot aid, uoept tuition 8idr under pro~idons at this Act, sbioh pays 8ny sal8ry 8bOtC tho~.speOifiCd in this Aot trom 8ay state, 10081) or. Fed&al :funds WhatsOeTer . croept Federal tunds, .useQ5 tc.sapplemcat e8l8rics at Vo-
cations1 Agioulturer Boa14 Eo~nomio~~ and Trade and Indus- irom the Feder81 b8nh8m Aot. \ tries tcaohers, and funds
164 UouOr8blO Y. 8. G8tcs - page l Pm+ided th8t the sal8rics ot rthlctio
direotors, band dir4OtOr8 Or lunch room rupcnisors mry be supplcmuteQr tron! fund8 derived tram souroes~ taxes4 ritbout making the school iucligi- other th8n tbic &IOtiqnJ 8nd provided further, blc under thrt tC8OhCrS who 81~0 sCt’V8 SS bus drivers, butrbo POP form n0 8dministr8tiTC duties, III8Y paid au rddl- tlonil saJ8rT 88 bus drivers Out Of an7 f'unds Ot the Qlstriot erired from 8 10081 m8intensnoe tax in cx- 00~s at t 6 10081 m8lntenanoe tar Ot ?itt t Oeintr (aOf) on the Chw Hundred Dollars (@CO.00 T talnation rcquircd to be levied br Scotion 2 Of Artiolc I hare- o?; proridcd tarther, that the rdditionrl 88lrry paid serving as bU8 driver sh8ll OCntorm to the salaiy’ co8lc paid other bns drivers ot the distriot, 8nd am itemised list Ot 811 cuoh sUpplCnCnt8 Sh811 he tur- nishcd the 7t8te DcF4rtucnt Of 8duOPtiOh and the Legis- 18tirc Aooount8nt with the general budget Of the dis- triot*'
Arti8lc V, dealing with the spc~itlo cubjeot ot Trme- portatioa A,id, is 8~ tollousr
.The CoUnty Supcrintcudent and County Sohool Bo8rQs.Of tbc 8OV4r81 OOUntiC8 Of this State nub- jeat to the rpproral of the State Snpcrlntendcnt of PubYiO .InstraOfionS 8re hereby 8uthorired to an- S4t Up the R!OSt COOliOlEiO81 SJStCu Ot tX’8nr ny8llT portatiou pOS8iblO for the purpOs0 Ot transporting ” both grade high sOhO pupils from their dir- triotc, aQ within their distriots~ The oo~nty
sh8ll.bC mgar#ed 8s the unit 8nd wrrrant made pry8bl4 tC.thc~ COUutJ Board %ranSport8ticn Pund, on tot81 tmnspartation errnird Within the.cotmtq not to cxcccd the tot81 8pProtcd cost tbcrcotl 8nd
the county Eoard,Of EdUO8tion sh811 distribute funds cquit8bl~ to dietriots opcratin(! uob
tr8n8pOrt8tioXl @CtCSl not t0 SSOCCQ aOtU81 8p- proved ocst Of 8ny one (1) bus 80 oper8ted. The expenses ot nuoh tranSpOrtrtio0 shall be paid on thc.b88is ot bodgOt8rJ need 88 indioated br 8p proved Bt8te Aid l pplio8tionl out ot the fuods
herein 81iCOatcd and 8pprOpri8tCd tor transporta-
tion aid, not to cxoeed Thhwc Dollars (kl*OO) per month per pupil tor high cohool pu ils and Two Dol- 18rs and Scrcnty-five Cents (@.76 P per month per pupil for elementary sohool pupils for those attend- ing the most oontcnlcnt aocreQiteQ school f provided
:' 165
BonOr8ble If. E* Geten - Page 2
that it there no ooarcnient aoorediteQ sohool that mob pupil may obtain like 8id under the pro- ot this Art1816 when 8ttcnding 8ny near rlsions sohool of higher 8lassifiO8tion thri the sending
distriOtt when design8$Cd by the County Board on the basis of Three Dollars ($3.00) per month per pupil.tor high school pupils d Two Doll8is and 8cTcnty-tiTc gents ($2.76) per month per pupil tor
oboe1 pupil8 rho reside tT0 Md one- silCs or more tram ne8rest eohaol fu such distriotf proTided further, that 811 sohool distriofs oontainlng on4 hundred (100) square miles of territory or more or mhieh h8Te 1eSS than one (1) enumer8ted sOhOl88tiO PCr SqUarC mile may rc- oeiT4 Three Doll8rs l%mtpfive Cents ($3.28) per month per pupil; proTided turther, th8t 811 oounties h8Ting less than thraS.'(S) ~UuiCr8t4d
sobolact~os per SqU8rC nils ln the entire oounty nhal3 rcociT8 Three hllars 8nd Piit &mts (&-no) per month per pupil an transportation 8id when there is need shorn theretor 8S provided herein.
~TIn no ln8tanOc m87 8id be gr8nted tar pupils uho 8ttend 8 gr8de in another s4hoo1, transportqd which grade is taught in suoh pupil's home district. 8iQ shall be granted tor a pupil
No transporkfian being tr8ncportcd out of his home 8OhOOl Qistriot if two or more reoeiring sohools 8rc 8pplying ior transport8tion aid from suoh pupil's home Qistriot unless the bU8 routes through suoh dlstriot h8T6 been rpproted bp the 2t8tc Dc~rtmcnt of gduoaticu 8nd ooniirmcd b7 LCgi8~8tiTC Aooouatant. Aid 8h811 not be granted under 8x17 proTicions ot thic.~ .~. Artiole un1686 pupil H) transported 84tu8llp reside8 WCC thaa k0 8nd one-h8lf (8 l/2) milC8 trcm the sohcol 8ttcnded and 18 transported in 8n
8pproTed bus OTCC 911 8pprOTOd rOUt4. ProriQed that Count7 2upcrintendcntc shall ~008te 8 point on CrOh btr8 rout0 ts0 and One-h8.lt (2 1/2) miles f’rOl6 re4ciTing sOhoo1, 8nQ 8ftCr suoh point is CP tablisbed hc chhrll p4rsoncl17 Qctwmine thethcr aid OU 8OhOOl 16 rCqUCsting transportation
11 residing within the fro and one-h8lt (2 limit. No tr8nsportatiOn 8id nh811 be-8llorcd on' pile firing within the 88id two 8nd one-hilf 2 l/2) mile liavit adn~~'distriot rcqucsf3nR aid
v" ou such pupil shall beoome incliglbl4 for tranapor- t8tion aid on eeoh bus transporting such pupils; *6 Bonorablo Y. f3: Gates - page 6
provided bowever, all sohool di atri eta oonforming to County IhIt Qatsm of Transport8tion and re- oeiting no other type at aid, eftbor tuition oc aslary, and oopprieing three or more oonaolidated diatriota oontrin~ag fi?tJ (6C) square EilOa or more of territory,‘ may reoeire transportation aid only on transportation budget ahorlng need there- for on c the baaie and 8t the ra to provided in this Aat. f
‘County Boards of Trueteea are hereby author- ired fo employ bus drivers for one yew, annb the aalery oi no baa driver may be paid out of the County Board Traneportatlon Fund areafed herein mleas suah bus driver le so emplaTed* Proridbd further, that enlr pupils or persona dlreatty oow aeeted ritb the uohool ayetern shall be transported en eohool buaev while in the prooeas of tranaporf- iag pupil e to end Srcim the aahool, and any bua driver violating the foregoing protidona shall forfeit hia coatraot sad shall immediatol~ dia- charged by the County Board of Truateea~ Horeverr -bleat to the provi~iona berein* bus drivers rho own their own busee, 8nd are eo employed, mw be @iron a boatrabt for not to eroeed two (2) yesrar oondltioned that said bus dritbra agree t.0 make in- provemeats on their bu.aeab ao as to more adeqmfoly lneure ufor transportation for aoholaatiaa, and the routa 6t euoh bus is not ahanged tho sooOnd year of .tho aontmof~
The arux at your inquiry is rhether or net thors fs a ao&llat between Beetion 1 end Artidle V of the bet 9th reapeot at transportation aid, and if 80~ rbioh pro~ieion ~m;h;,tem . The task, tbereiore, beaomea one purely of atetutory oonatmbtioa.
The Intention of tbe Leg%alaturer as dlacOte~d from tho Aat, is the one untailin~ TWlb tor construing any sktd.orf' sat* That Intention is to be gathered from the four Ooruera of the instrument as a whole, when read in tho light of the purpoab as aontalned in titlb, and in the light of eaah and over? part o? the Abt oonaiderod oolleotirbl~ and •eparatbl~r Oonatru- lng tho parts, where possible , $a aala 8 -ray tbat eaoh sad every part may stand aa +aliU, and that no part thereof 88~ be afrlakeu Out or Ignored.
167' Honorable I(. HO Oat08 - page 7
When this Act is thus OOnaideredr ue reaah the aonolu- sion there is no oontliat between itr parta, and that all parts may atand and be given a moaning consistent with all the other parts. .
S~eelfioall;~ we think there lm no oonflidt between tbe abovequoted portions, but on the OontrarJr Seefion 1 o?
Artiele I oonatitutes the enacting olauae oorerlng whole m&feat of aid, and Artiole T deals with the apealiio aubjeot of transportation aid.
Lt Is a raamiar rulo of OOnatruCtiOn oi a l tatuto of a proviao~ exoeption, or saving that the oifloa dr funotioa olau~~e 16 to take out of tbe general bnaoting olanae something would bo inoluded therein. It is not required that okherriae tbb @xaeption, proviso or saving olauae be in the same that aeotion, artlalo or part of the Aot -- its mochanloal *lace in the oonatruotion bein~g of.no controlling im~rtanae. Sutherland on Statut'ory Conatruotlon thus epitoniaea the genera3 rules, se tollorsr
.'It is the tiffice of the proviso to restrict the 'moral operation of the enaoting part‘of f2eo; 4932) * * *. Although originally the iot proriao was to remtrlcf only the aeation to ahloh It was attached, the modem rule 8ppliba the pro- viso to all aeotiona of the aat, if it oan be de- termined that was the legialatire intention. Al- thouih thb ions and the leaation of the proviso may be some indication of tbe legisl8tiro intent, fOrI alone will not oontrol. No preawnption ahould arise frost the mere locatiom OS the proriao is ap- that it plloable only to the sootion in rhiah it appearwor .~.
to preoeding eofiona. (800. 4931) l l l * Protlaoa and exoeptiwa both operate to rbstrfot thb general- it7 of leglalatlre language. Xormally 8 prorieo oo- ours within body of the aeofim, while an ax- aeptlon is drafted aa an indiridual seation.
*The older rule atriotly Interpreted both ox- eeptions provisos. Today exaeptiona and to some extent proriaoa are interpreted prinaipallJ in TieT of the leglalatti~e intent and no presumption arises boomute of the form of the Act that the interpreta- tion muat atriot. Generally an exoeptioa is oon- sidered am a llmitatlon only upon the aaitter ahioh preaedes jt, but if It Is alear from the Yegialati~e intent t%at it 1s considered a peneral limitaticx~ Cm *8 Xonorable II. 2. Gates - Page 6 entire sot it will operate to restriot all pro-
~idone or the sat*’ (Sea. 4938)
Thle rule of aonatraation la akin to, If not identioal with ths further rule. (hat’an sot dealing with a apeoifio mb- jeot rill control another sot dealing with general subject that would otherrisb lnolude the l peoiti0 one.
ipplfing theeb well-reoognlted rufaa oi WlImtNOtiOtI~ we fiad that Seation 1 at ArtiOlb I deals with general aubjeot of ellglbllity for aid. Thfa wouldb of @oursed inalude transporta- tion l idb should that meatton atand alone in the statute. It makes apeoifle requirements in very strong and mpbatio terma, am oertain 8131 be readll~ seem from the moat oasua’l reading thereof. Article V deal8 with tho narrow b apeciti0 w%Jeat Of franc
. portatiun aid. It $eaka with reapeef to transportation not only to and from eohool a eligible iOr aid wder seation 1, but oontaina more. It oorerb fully entire l ubjeot of transportation, among other things aaylngt
‘Provided further that all sohool diatriata Oon- tainlng one hundred (100) u&are mller of territory or maorob or whioh hare less than one. enumerated sobo- laatio per aquaro nilo may reoelre throe dollara and twenty-five oents ($2.26) per month per pupil; pro- vided further, that all oounfiem having leas tban three (3) enumerated aoholaaticeper aqaare tile~ln entire oounty shall rbceire three dollars and fifty aents ($33r60) por month per ptipil as tranopor- aid when tbero is a need shorn thbrefor as ktion provided herein*’ The obvious ‘Purpose, 6s thinkb of the Legiilature tram to make prorlalon~ as it did In Arffalo Yb for aid, ir- fransportatlon iOr aid, 88 re- respeoti~re of thb qUb#tiOn O? general Oli(Cibility quired in Seatioa 1 of Artiole 1.
Our Opjnlon Ilo. 0-2367s mentioned by you, after quoting Seation 10 of the Aotb 88 it thea existed, heldt SpaoSa1 statutory provisions control those rhioh In our opinionr the apeaial pro-
or0 merely general. of Seofion 10 relating ri*lons to tranaportatlan aid, and with reapeat to d%atriota larger than one hundred aqclare mllos, oontrol and must be given effeot. H+oe, if the Graham QSrtrlot aontaina more than Onb hundred *9 169
Honorable X. IS. Oatem - page 9
square miles, and need for transportation aid la shorn, it amy reoeire such l ldb If reoomended by the Direator of Equaliration and approved by joint legislative aclvisorf committee.*
lo think tbat~opinion annowoed a oorreat a~~olueion under sound priaoiplea of tatutor~ OonatNOtioa~ aad we here nor t-e-attim itb present statutes belnle; in all aubatantial reapeats the’ same as those exlstlnp when that opinion was writ- ten. Any and all subsequent opinions in oonfllot with thin opin- ion are hereby OTOrN~Od.
It tollora, OS oouraeb that any diatriat entitled to transportation aid, under terms of Artlole VI la entitled whether suoh diatriot oomplles with any of the general thbrOt0, requirements for eligibility, under geation 1 o? Artiole I or not.
Jdkeriee any dietriot that oontorma to the Comfy &It System of transportationr and reco2res no other type of old, either tuition or aa’lary, and rhiah ootipriaea three or more in- and contains fifty (60) square miles of ter- do’$endent dietHater ritory, and which la applying for transportation aid only on a tratiaporkflon budgetr rhioh shows need therefor On the basis and at rate prorlded torn In dot, as does Iiunta+ille Independent Sohool DletrlOtb la entitled to much transportation aid.
Very truly yours ATTORRET GENERAL 09 TEXAS,/ &.L 8p e Asaista f-- t