Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
I thlr aepartnent Blind rrlon for rooatloml rehablll- th8 hot OS COngrO88, dOr' thi8 AOt, 8 st8tO +a &all -- tion e tha St8tO bow6 OS roatloml eferred 'Statr board') to a8 the f foz. th0 8drlni8tP8tiOt4, 8IQ9r- rol oi the Strtr pl8aj oxoopt vhero her lOV, the Stat0 blind O&8- bt8t@‘8 810a or other agea which pro~ld88 888lrWn0e or 843cI~oe8 to the 8dUlt blind 18 ruthorlsed t0 PO- ride vooatloaal rehabilitation lm -11 them pmvldo b7 8wh h8t. g liad Oea- for 8brini8tP~tiOIb 8i88iOa OF othw Stat. l g8M7 Of th. WPt pba U&eP vhioh roe~tloMl rohabllltatloa 18 pro- vided the blladr Provided, thot in my Sot. vhioh b7 1~ bA8 88t8blbh.d 8 reh8billt8tlOn OOti88iOa *2 g,.,,,orable Loo Alsup, pa&e 2 date oi enactment of thlr hot, with prior
- 8uthOrity t0 PrOVIdO rObabllIt8tlOn 8WfiOO8 t0 dlrabled lAdlvIdUai8, State board sm7 aelagate to ruoh oommlrrlon [811] or say part of the opera- tion of State plaa, under 8 vrlttea agN8mat oooperrtlon approved by the Admlalrtrator~
I I . . . . Section 10 (8) of the AOt definer "rooatloml ro- ~bIlItatIoal*
"Tha term "vocational rshabllltatloa" aaa term "rehabllltatlon 8ervIci8a" mans any 8erv- ice8 aeoeasary to render a dlsablea lndlvldual Sit to engage ln a ramuneretlre oocuprtlon; . . .
W’. . . .‘”
Firat, It mumt br dctermlnad vhether or not the State C~mmlrsloa for the Blind 18 authorlsed to provide services nco- l sssry render dl8abled lndIvlduals fit to engage in remunera- tive oooup8tloas. The Stata Commlsalon for the Blind vas oreat- ad by AOt8 1931, 42Ild tigl8btUre, pSge 122, Chapter 80. Sec- tion [2] thereof enUBUr8t40 the pOVerS Md dUt1eO [08] fOnOV8;
"The State Commlrrloa the Bllna 8hall maln- tala 8 Buraau of Informstlon, tha objeot of vhloh 8h811 ba to 81d the blind VhOse traialng not OthePVIrr prOvidea for, ia find* emp1oyment, In developlng home lndurtrler 8mong tha blind, and ln marketing th@iF 8ha11 ia The bBlOi881Oa &COdUOt8. It8 dI8oretIoa furDi8h m8terla18, tools ana books Sor the usa a8 maana In rah8bllltatlng suoh per- 8OM, 8d It ma7 e8tabil8h VOrk8hOp8 8IId 8ai8Sr001D8, and rhall have authorlt7 to u8e an7 receipts or earnings that aoorue from tha operation of Indua- trial 8OhOO18, ralaaroomr or workshop8 8a provld- ed ln thlr Chpter, detailed 8tatement of re- ceipta o r oaralagr and rpeadlture8 sh811 ba made moathly to tho Auditor of Stat.. Through employment of teacher8 the CommI88Ion ~7 g1p0 ln- 8truotloa to adult blind per8oM In their homarl pro- vided that It rhall not undrrtak8 the permsaeat rup- port or malateasaoe of any blind porroa$. Th8 Com- 8i88iOa My ala0 ragl8tar Case8 or pawon VhO8e *3 gongable Len Alrup, p1ga 3
.p8i@t I8 rorlou81~ derrotive Or vho are 1IkOlJ to beoow Vi8IMiiJ badiO8pped or blind, and t8kO swh w8ure8, Ia oooperatioa vlth other ruthorl- tie8 88 it Uy 608 8dVi88ble for the ~eVeatIOa Or 8OIl8O~V8tiOtl Of l JOli&t, 8nd h of bZ188 for the l dUO8tiOa 0hIldrea appropriate -808, 8nd for the vo@atIon8l guldaaoo OS 8aat8 having l eriOU8ly aOiOOtiV0 8i@lt. The collni88iOil DSY ra- ooi+O~ (tift8, bMU88t8, Or dOVi8.8 troll iadividWl8, raoolatlonm or oorporrtloas, and ~7 l xpead tha a In 8OOQdMoe vlth provIrloa8 oi m8 Aot.' 8rabadment8 of thl8 Aot (00~ oodLiIsd a8 Arti- Latsr old 32070, Vernon*8 duaotatea Civil Stirtutor) hava not ohaaged the prOVI8iOa8 8OOtiOa 8bOVO. quoted
Th8e OQUOMtOd pQVOr8 a0, VO bOliOVC, OOIM Vithill tbs purvlev oi provldlag "VOO8tIOMl reh8bIlltrtIoa" adult blind. By thlr ve mean, th8 poverr delegated to 8CO Of b r M b l nOugh 8OOm t0 prOViae iOl' VO- th18 cOEBi88iOa s~tioaS1 rehbllltatIoa 8ir aeiiaea la raid Pub110 IAV 113. gvea though ths Laglrlatum ha8 not 8eea fit through proper ~appropriStiOa8 to otlv8t8 811 the80 pavers, it do08 not aeo- there are aot a0mt powrr In thlr aeo- s8Sbrily follav th8t tloa of hrtiole 32q8 vhloh vould 8uthOrlrs COBml68lOa to provide 8OrViOO8 Moeraary to reader dl8sbied iadIvldus18 tit to, engage la remmeratlvo oooupatlona. we be118Ve there pavers uu prorent though they hVe pot been fully utlllzed by ColDi8SiOa beO8u8s Of thO 18Ok Of Pl'OpCtr 5Uad8.
EOtVlth8t8ndiItg th e l boVe tOaOlU8IOa, ve do not be- lIsV0 CQlii88IOa iOr Blind b8 the authority dt8te 8drini8t.r th8t pult Or thi8 Federal reh8bIllt8tlOn pl'ogru for the adult bllad. In 1929 the Texa8 LegI8lature ooepted the of 0 prior rehablllt8tIar progrrr and appointed the bsaailtr State Board or Yooatltmal Btluoatloa a8 Admblrtrator. we quote la p8rt from Artlola 2675-1, Veraoa's AaaOtated Clvll Statutsrr
%o. 1. The &6;8&tlWe Trx88 a008 hereby OOl~t the prOVi8I1%8 ad bet&fit8 Of 8a Of Coa&rerr p888e4 Jum 2, 1920, 8mn6ed Juae 5, 1924, 4ntitleat ‘Aa A0t to provide rot proslotion oi YOSatIOMl R&8bllltatIoa o? p8rrQa8 dI88blrd ia Fa- dwtry or 0thsrv180, and their retura 01~11 em- plopeat.’
goOwable Loa Alrup, page 4
%eo. 2. The Trerrurer oi Tour be, 8nd ha 18 -hereby ruthorirea 8Ird l mpoverea to reoeIve the maa
l ppFOpPhtOd under raid Of cOl&PO88, 8od 18 8U- thorlsed to rk. order OS the Strto Bo8rd ror VooatIoa41 Edwatloa. dirbUF8ewat8 thOrOfPOm UpOlr th8 l%O 8tbtO -a or vOO8tiOMl sAhIO8tiOa 18 O8pOVOrOa 8ad in8trUOtOd t0 000OpOlW8 Vlth the tam 8d oon- ditiW8 l X~O88Od irr th8 AOt Of C00g.88, l fOrVr~id. .
I . . . . Of ai8 AOt hV [08] pub110 Pub110 113, 78th IirV cOwO88, lgi?ot QUOtO VO fO11OV8: iran OMOt~ i8 8A WendSeat 8014 OlW#O Of of ths Aot entitle6 'Aa not to povIde ror “The the proaotion voOatloab81 rehabllIt8tl0a of per- son8 disabled irr hdU8trJ oc othcrvI8e ad their ratura to oIvIl enploywat,' pprovaa Juas 2, 1920, title 29, oh. II), 88 rwa4ra (U.S.C., i8 8waaea re8d a8 ~ollov8r . . . . . The kglrlature of TOur ba8 thu8 apovered and la- struoted the Stat4 EMard of Vooatlonal Bduoatloa to aQmIalster t& wxatloaal rehabllltatloa program vhloh Public Lav 113 la l mea alag. lie are of the opIaIoa there 8peolfIo poverr bestwed upon the st8tO Boarrd or Vooatlorul Education are still in force and OffOOt and th8t it 18 8010 8g4IiO7 ruthorlred In TO-8 to d8iai8tOP reh8bIlItatIOn &?.FO&F8m in OO- thi8 VOO~tiOIUl opemtloa vlth the Foboral Ooveruwat. proper ths offloerr of 8ny State Depart- tlOn bill provIde8 It [18] th8t true ridor to the omwat pproprl*- mat8 to mks l ppll0atloa for and ooopt gift8 from the UaIted State8 0overmsat to be w0a b strta 000psrrtIra 8nd other
Fedrral progrru. t&i8 18 8 al &3rOV1810.5 la the appro- platloa bill, ve do aot dlotlon s olfloall oonferred b7 legl8latIm. The Stata Board ot the 8tate government upon aaclthm rgency~a Jurle- to oaoroaoh thAt it 8UthOriZ48 8geACy uoa 10~ h8r been poioted Out ~8 the body t0 ad- Of POO8t- mIaI8ter t& voOatIoaa1 rehabIlItatloa program ln oooperatlon vlth thr Federal Oovernmeat~ v8 do not think thlr rider on
,pproprI8tlan bill -8 Intended to ohange or alter ra7 ertab- ~wdpOgr88 It 18 our oplaloa Therefore, thi8 MtW0. tmt uhetham or not th0 8tOtO C0at~188lO~ for the Blind k8 tb# paver provide voaatlonml rehabIlltatIoa for the Blind, tu state Board Voortioa81 Muoatioa 18 the 0rrly ageaoy wt bar beea mp ovared, a8 l vldeaoed by provi8Ioa8 0r Ahlcle 2675-1, 8-8, to 8&IaI8tar thl8 Federal-State pro- Cm 8UthOrl88d under th8 Fader81 Aot 0r #xbu 2, 1920, 88 -Ba8a by Pub110 LAW 113.
It 18 furthor roknovledgea t&t FadOr Aot pro- v;dr8 for the 8tate Bllad CoPlmi88iOn to daInI8ter the nev to blIad ,ooatlonal ruhrbllltatlon progPa8 vlth referenoe vbere It 18 authorized to do 80. xt would b enf0ul0u8 t0 ugue that the Federal Government by thlr Act 18 empoverlag gur Blind Cosml88loa to rdmlnlrter th18 progrra larofar a8 the tit the Blind I8 ~ovIde6 where the Nate LUglrlA- r~juvoMtiOn trP0 bar 8ppOiIAtOa another 8gaaoy to dlreot the exeoutloa of suOh.8 Ph.
The FOber81 Aot povlda, hoveve!!, that the State soara 05 Vooatlonal Education maf de1egat.e to a 0oms18810n la tha Scat* i8 8uthorIzed tb provil.4 vo4atIanal rehablllta- tiOB my part the operation OS 8Uoh prOgP88. Ve think State Board 0i VOOatlOMl SdUOatIcYI could thw In 8Ukrltting the State 3laa to the Federal Ooverameat rpeoitf that it vould ior thr Bllad lmlnlrtra- 6sbsgrte to bkte Caami88lQa tlon Of that p8rt of th8 program pert8ililng to vooatloMl re- habllltatloa OS ths 8dUlt blind. Thlr paver oi aelagatlcm not ooml~g f~oi 8ny Fedarrl 8uthorI8atloa, rather from the state Laglalature in apov*rIag the Stoto Board of Vocatloaal lduoatlm to COOperatO vlth the tam aad ooadItloa8 exprerred 8eo ~rtI5Y57675-1, in the vo4atIorral rehabllltatloa Aot.
@UP=.
It 18 therefore the opinion of thI8 department that tha ageno? In Tour to dmlnI8ter ths entire Federal Vooatloa- Rehabllltatloa 18 th8 Strte Board of VooatIonal Ehoa- Mon. Th18 Board, hOVOV8r, if it dO8iP88 Oa7 8tipUl8tO Irr SoblLttIag the State P&a to Fader41 bovrrameat that it vi11 dalegate the dalnl8tratIon of the progmm vlth referenoe to adult blind to the 81;ate Co1ml88lon for the Blind. *6 LOO Alsup, page
-able
Ye trwt th8t th4 foregoing srtlrfactoril~ l a8v8r8 lB@irY* tQ~
vary trtiy yOUr8 ATTORBSX QENBRAL OF TEXAS Robert 0. Kooh Asslstmt