Case Information

*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Honorable J. 5. Murehlson, Exeeutlre Dlreotor xairt4r0

met0 L)opertmnt 0r abu0

Auatin, Taxee O~lnlon Xo. O-426

Dear Sir:

our Constitution and or H

47th Legialatute, or appl

to the Heady Bliad, $814 A

I osy or old-agr 8s8l8t- e aot to rxoo*d' &oh to.iotual am ov&th, rga $rovldeQ that no habit- tual drunkard while'suoh roquirrments i!rr length~or tinm mw in Texas ah611 never~ba less years iiurlnCj the nine (9) years moeding tho appliootloa for old- age a&sistanos ena aontinuouml ror one (1Lpar lnnuedlately proootM.ng suoh app i ioatlon.

The Legislslturs aixall hsve the authority to aaaept fror- the Oaernment oi' the W.teU %#DBB suoh flnaaalel efd for old-age essi+~Oenoe ae that covermeat my offer not idooneirtent with 3;)~ reatriatione hereinberore provided. (.see. Br-a, he. 3, dktptea eleotiaa Aug. 24, 1935.1” *2 Ecnorable J. 8. Kurohlson, Braoutirc Dlreotor, Paga 2

Oonetltutlon Artlala III, Pootlon 510 provides: *The Lc2lalature ehall have the powcr by Cencrnl Laws to provide, uncier suoh llmitatione

an6 regulations and restrictions a8 nag by the Lcglalature be deemed cxpcolcnt, ror assletanoc

to the needy blfnd Over thb age of twenty-one (21.) yeara, en@ for tht psynent of 80~0 not tD axoesd E'lStcsn Collars ($15) per month per pcr-

ran; such aasiotmac or aid to bc granted only to aotusl bona fldc oltlzans of Texas; provldcd that no habitual criminal and no habitual druuk- ard and no inmate of eny 't&e supported insti-

tution, while such inmate, ahall be eligible ror

ruoh aesletance to the needy bllnC over the age or twenty-one (21) ycare; provided, rurther, thct

the rcquircmcnte ror the length or time or eotual reslbenob in Texas shall never bc lcso than five (5) year8 during the nine (9) years lmmcdlately preceding the applloetlon for c8slstanOc to the

nced~ blind over the age of twcntj-one (21) ycrrrs;

ad oontinuously for one per lvmtcal8tclJ prcoed-

lng suoh applioatlon.

*The Legislature shall hats tha authority to ccocpt iron the Gwernment of the United. Statea suoh rlnanoic~ aid for asdatanoe to the nec8y blind aa that Oovornmcnt may offer not lnoonelst- ant with the restrlotlone hereinabove prcPvlde4. (Sec. 51-0, tit. iIX, edoptcd clcotlon Aug. 23, 1937.)"

constitution Artlole III, Gotion 5lLb provides1 *Subjaot the llmltatlona end rc~trlotloas herein wntalneb, and suoh other llmitstioar, re- strlotlona, end regulctione 88 nay be provided by law; the Legislature @hall have the power to pro- vide for aeslstsnoc to Qcstltute ohllarcn urrdcr the age cr rourtccn,(l4) Jcarst such assiatanoc shall not cxaced Xl&t Collars ($8) per month for one ohfld nor more than Twclre Dollcrs ($12) per month ror such ohlldron of anp one farfly! provided that the amount tff be cxpcn%ad r0r such aeslstanoe 0th or state runas shall ne7er cxoeed the sum or *3 Boaorable J. 9. Murahiaon, Xxeoutloe Lireotor, Page j

Ona Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollere ($1,500,000! per year. The Legislature nep lmpoae reel&antis1 restriatlons end auoh other reetriotlona!, limitations, and regulation8 a8 to it may seem expedient.

"The Leglalature shall have the authority to eaaept Srom the Sovarrmenf of the United %atos suoh Skmnoial oaaistanoe to destitute ohildren SE thnt Government may orrer not inoonalstent with the reetriotlons herein above provided.

(,Peo. 514, Art. III, ~a0pt.d eleotion Aug. .23, 1937.1'

House 8111 611, Eeotion 35, provlCemr *'Iseo. 35. The purpose oS this Aat ie to

inaugurate a progxun of eoolal eeaurlty and to provide neaeseary end prompt esalotanoe the oltixens or this %tat#.who ara entitled to avail thaxmelves br ita pro*%-$ions. This Aat kshvill be liberally oonatrued?$n order that lte pur- poses may he eaoomplfshsd as equitably, eoanoaria- ally, and expeditloumly a# posslble.*v ,, Resfderrcle requiremerts set up in the Aot are aa seotion 201 *Old Age Aeaiafanoe ahgU ba given uuder the provit~lone ot thle Aot to any needy per#ou:

" . . .

v(j) v:ho hse~reeided in the %ate of Texts fox five years or more v&thin the lest ntie yeare pnaedlng the date of his appliastlon for asslstanae and has resfded In

the Ttete Texee oontiououslg for one year lmnediataly

preoeding t&e appliaatfon; . . .*

Section 12: Wkaaistsnae shell be given uuder the provisions of thi6 Aot to any needy blind person who%

11 . . .

“(3) Who has resided in this State ror rive yeera during the nlne years lmedlately preaedlng the date oS

. .: . ..& . rdrl ,Ronorable 3. s . Wurehleon, Exeautlre Mreotar, Page 4

&pplIoetion, and who has realdeb In this Ftste oontinuouely ror yie year Imediately preceding the dete of epplioetlon; . .

Section 17 provides for aid to dependent ohildren, and defines the term, ins part, aa embracing any IndIvIduelr

"(2) Eho has ‘&sided In this State for s period of at least one year lmmedletely preosding the date of the

l pp2loatIou ror eealetenoe~ or was born within the Ptete one yuxr imediately preaedlng the date of epplloation, and whose mother hcs realded In the E:tete for e period of et least one year ixmeCIately precedfng.the birth of suoh ohlld; . . .*

.The Conetltutlon and the statute refleot olearly the intention of the people of Texas that the eId oontelaplated ahou2d be extended only to altizene of this Ftste. Obviously Texas could not undertake the finanoial burden of provLdlng eSoola1 CeourIty* for other then its own oltlsene. Eoreover , Texas aould not oerely a~w!m euoh burden with respect to 611 ubo might beoome oltleene, wIthout aome alnlmum requirements dth wepeot to the period OveY which that aifizenahip ehou2.d hare etieteii. 33 the abeeooe suoh requlremmte, cltlxen- &IQ Zn thla'%ete might be eoqulrad lumdiately by oltloene or other states removing to Texas and %n reot and intention establlrhing their hqe hare. Yhere wea the poeeibillty that lar#a nmbere of people Eight be fnduosd to make their homes In'Texee for the purpoeq of obtelnlng Immediately the benefits or ltu 9x3Ial Scaurlty pro~mmn. To guard against this, the mfn.lmum residenoe regulremente of the Constitution were enaot- e&l end these requlreoents shouJ,d be oonstruedTg t.~.d.Igbt of the purpose for whigh they were provided.

vreeIdew end WreeIdenoen, being words of elestla mneenIag, to be placed upon them depends upon the

the oonstruction oblrot or purpose of the statute In whIoh they are eqloyed.

54 0. J. gage 708.

Since both the Cmstitutlon and the Statute con- template extension of the benefits involved only to “citizens” of Texee, lt Is clear that mere ph~ysioal presenoe Ih this

State, wIthout the intention of vieking this %ete the fixed and permanent plnoe of abobe, Ie not the character of WresI- Qenaaw required. CitlmnsBlp i.8 not aequlred by mere phyal- oal presence, but by phyelosl pmssnce with the Intention that the plaoe of physIca presence sheli be the home. Act and

intent F-Ust co-exist and oo~+eagund. Xlsele vs. Oddle, 128 Fe& 94.X.

tlonore bls J. 3. ~urohlron, Xxeoutire Dlreotor, Page 5

what than 1~ tha chsfaotfrmor the wma~den~an c?vOr the perlfid8 aentfoned ln the Conatltotfon nqulrd (end thenot? Plainly, uo think, a oontlnuous phyaloal

p&escnoe dtihln thla State lag not oontamplsted. Thus to aonstrue the language used wwld wsult in the hsrsh and unrkasonebls dootrlne that phJaioal abmnos froa the State to& even a day on buolnsas OF for plemsurs, or for other koporar9 pu&po$o, Would Interrupt thu pdrlod. No euoh anroasonable Intent should be ImpaMd ~108s roqulnd by unambligmua language. Henos we mjsot suoh oonstruotlon.

Xn our oplnlon, the peiiod of RaotuOl &esldenoe* oi a oitl- hen of this Stat. is not lntsrrupted~or broken by mere phf- rrloel absence from the i'Sate for temporary purpoaos, when. to mturn to thla Btat*,whan those tom-

fho intent exiate go&a&y pU&poaok oooasionin& the nbBeno0 a$fe aatleflsd. On tb othelr hand, the word *aotualw mdlfpimg *residonoo* requlreti that the rea@OnOe ba *&%a1 u-4hat It erlat in iaot, rather than b$ fiotlon 18~. .Thua, while oontinuoue phy- dosl prcsstnoo Is not required, tha person mast be physioally pmeont in this Ft8to under suoh ol&oumstanoos and for audh a aubstantlal p&t at the time period involved es w$J&nr~- aonabl9 1nQloate that hrrra Is in gaoti"re well ?a Sp,tantioa, hia fixed aa4 pwmanent place or abodo’(lurlng the eatlro porlo(L mqulreb.

PUS IntwprOted, the resieaaoa roqulmd is or the l IJ,HI @no@ ohimaotar l a that nqulnd or oao who poti- Mona ror a elm&or in thin State. Mloharl YS. Mlohaol, 3ljTer. Cit. Ap. 630, 79 8. W. 75; Spear Naydtal Righta,

'pm 725. We regmt thst It 1s noC poasibls ,to lep do*a

a rule of thumb br arhfoh t&e oxlatmaae OS the "aatual real- dentmu esay be dotermined b9 90~; the lesue la psoullarly .e one or root, ownpounded of aot and intontlon, an4 ia be

msol~od la the 11&t of tho oiroumstaaoes of Oho partloular oaao, according to the neoeaaaril9 germ&al rulaa stated l boYo.

PaSrohild As&ehnt