Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF ‘WE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
iionorable John 3. Rudd,. w b A&.ng Director
Teacher Retlranent Systm OZ fexas
Aumiln,. TeXUS
Dear Slrt
oplnlon Ro. O-4072
Rcr Contributtons received by Te8chor R&lrement System after retirement member. wehave reat3lved your letter of Ootober 6, 1941, '%I which you aek~vhetht+~ thd Tdlloving regulation paseed by the Board of Trustee8 gf the Teacher Retirement Sgst.em 2s D propor one.
%ontr'ibut:Gns rece2ve.d by,the R&tixmient Sys- tem for the account of i% ‘iember subrequent to the effect2ve &to oT.tuch.nenMr@e retirement shall be returned to, such-mnkm and ahall not be included ea of- such membor’e annuity remmve.”
Seation 5,~Subaectton 3 of the Tescher R+lrtnmnt L.mt “2. Allovance for.Serv2ce Retirenwnt. Upoxi
mtlmrmat for service. a rmmber’ shall~ .reze2y3~ 0.
sorvlce ret1rsim0nt allovanas cozifJ2atln&~o$,;al8tambelc Wch hall the aotunrlal. equlxalent ahlp ,‘aiinulty,.
of ‘hi8 p+tmbership annuity. re8erv~, rind i. pr,2or-rsr vloe annuity to 3iich hla oreditable swrvlce and awn- bernhip. in I&+ Tsaoher Retirement Syafxq ,~entitle? him prov2sions of th2s fict l y . . . .:‘I ; der2v~~a~~:s mesberohip annu2t.y ~eseGe shall by
“(1) 32s mxumulntad contributions credited to his account in the Teacher Saving Fknd at the tine sf mtlremmt; and
Honorable John 3. Rudd, Jr., ?~ii;e 2
"(2) An addltlonal JM ircmr the State Umber- AccuPnrlation Fund equal to the accmulsted $-+- ~___ ._ _ _ ~_ ._ tr1but1on5 prov1.ded by !aaswr 111 SUrl5eCclon (1) of Pmagraph (a) of thla Subaeotlon. '
The validity o? the re&atlon nece88srll~ depends upon the mean2ng of the word8 "credited h28 aocount ln the Teacher FYmd at th5 tlmo retlmmnt." sdrlng
If thlr provl5lon mean5 aatu8lxeoelpt of the money ad ita dspoeit fa the ftmd to the credlt~ot the member, then the re~atlan lr *laid. Butonthe otherhand, if thela~~~~ge mew the deduction8 frcu the monbor~8 earnablo campenmtlon vh2c.h [25] to be placed in Um fund, then the regulation is invalid. Ye are 2nclSned to the latter expre88ed viev.
3cme genatral rule5 on statutory constructicn are quoted *rrom T&s JUrlsprudence, Volume 39, poge8 166, 209, ,217, SJ fol- lOV5 I
"'The intention of the Le@slature in enacting a law the lav 1t501r, 1 ftha ee5enae of the lav,' and *the spirit vh2ch sjlver life* to the enactment.
pence, the +&I and object of aonatructlon la to an- certain BP4 eaforce the leglslttive intent, and not to defeat, nulliiy thvart it. %hen the intOXIt 15 p&inly JlC9FJJJJd l&S t&J
lang ung e l statute, it mu0t be effeot v2fib outattemptlngto caostrueor Interpretthelw. Oa tha hnnd, to cozmtrue an it vhen 153moe55ary sot in order to dotenllnb it5 proper wanllq, it 15 nettled by a hoat OS deoislona aourt should first endewror to a~osrtaln the legl5lstlve intent, fras a general riev of the vhole enaotznent. Such intent hav2ng baen a5eertalned, the oourt vlll then seek to con8true the statute JO 68 give effect to the purpo5e of Legl5lature, 85 to the vhole sod eaah material part of the lav, even though thl8 nra~ Involve a departure franr the strict letter of the lav a5 vr2tten by the Legislature.
Honomble Jsbn Se Rudd, Jr*, ?ar;e 3
*‘i’hiJ 15 th0 ftmd5mntJloaaoa5adthea5rdlnal, prlauu-7 and paramount ml0 of oonatruotlon. vbloh should alva~r be olo6el7 observed and to vhlch JU rules met y2eld. l l l " "Another nmdawntal rule FJqUh’JJ that a St&t- ute be aonatrwd a8 8 whole aa& t&t al of it8 puts bJ h82T1on%JJd~ %f pJJiblb~ Jo u t0 give OffJet to the entire sot rocordlng to the evident intention of * J th. ~giJl&UX’J. Of the UtatUte la to be OOBJidend in "Esah put
ocmneotlon vi?3 eYery other and vlth the entlm enaotraent. in odor to prodwe a hamo~loue vhole and to reaah the true legirlat2ve intent. ?Zhua In oaae of doubt JJ the rseon2ng of 5 partlotier vord, ClJuJe, 'or aeotlon, it be vleved b the light prorlrlcm or a1 the language anployed. It fOllOV5 thJt J pro- OiJiOn Hal not bJ a. meanirq out of hanmay vlth OthJS pFOYiJiOM thr WPOJJ and f.llOC4MiJtUlt Vith Of mot, although it vould ruraeptlble of Juab oon- JtFUOtiOI& %f Standing Ohle.”
‘ * l l ma8 it lrettlod thJt 8 statute vlll k JCrO9.* It5 it5 intsndbd JaDJtl’Wd tith FJfJFJZlOO to ~WD#Dti~JO, enb ths l BdJ Or objeok JOl@t to bo EPerJ.#o~irlon, clause Or vord of aa aot Vi11 b. hB8tFU.d tith FOfO~BOe t0 it5 lerd+ng id.8 and brought, 80 f8r u ~JJibhJ,~- 01 g~nerd, -50, to hrm~ therevlth." With there prinolpler 2x1 m2nd ve vlll nov muelder lrm&uaqe UJJd In Seotion 5, SUbJJJtiOn 2 Or Aot. The maiZj purpose of the Teaaher Ret2rement LJV la thy proteotlon twoh- 15 true temher J&J~JJ era after retlnmmt. that part the burdens of the ,Act; hovever, the act I5 fOC h25 benefit, Imainly opd v5 belleve doubts should bs resolved In his frvor. *4 Eoaorable &ha 3. Bud& Jr., Pwe k Subaeotlon 1 of Seotlcn 8 of the Aot pwrlder for de-
ducta frol the wary 0r ter0her 0r rive 90~ 0-t 0r hia 8rnable aaipematloa. Subaeotloa l(c) or Section 8 prcvldee ia p8rt a8 r0mv8:
= l l l T h e eawby er &all oertlry to th e state Baud oi Trustee8 an eaoh and every 9wreJil. or ln such other meaner a8 said Bwrd mat pm8o~lbe, the amounts to be deduotod; and eaab of safd amounts shall be deduoted, and when deduotmd &all be 9ald into uld Teacher swlag Ptmd, aad Bhnll be credltsd, to the in- di.vldu8l a08mt the mmb~r SPCQ uhoaa ocmpensatlon raid deduotian ua# mada.” rr the regulation oonslderatioa vex-a uwld, then emphaaia would be pbmad on physloal eotm of reoelvlq tha coatrlbutloam and depa&ing m seme in the Pund to the credit But lf the deduotioal8 rightfullynsde rrc88 teacher. oaapumation of the teacher, should teaoher be permlised if thm employer r8ih or negleot8 to rend it in prcwtlgt We think not. Vs belter0 th8t Oace the deductloa la rightfully mule Pran the sahx70r tamtewher, thenit irtohie oladitin theTes~her smtag mad even though the tuoher retired beor the nmaey
la actamllr reoelved by the Teaoher Rotbemeat System. This rlsv plroes 5pharl8, not 00. the phy8loal aot8 of reaelpt aad de- po8lt tha Qontrlbutlonr, but en t&m rplrlt bohlnd the law. is our opialoa, rLw0r0, that the regulatbn lm
lnY8lld.