Pram your letter of January 26, 1941, alorgrith oerbaim other da* sulxrdttrd, and the’letter of @lonation &-v&a US 18 the State Highmy EngW eec OR January so, 1941, we gather the follolcirg faofrr: By Rinute No* 17869 oa Deoember S, 1940, the Terna State H ighway _. ._ . . .

CaPanission dasigimted a oertain bighuay e!Xbmdl~ 80UWUWYd aaroa~ we Brasos’ River at or neax’ltimball~a Bead, ordeied looatioi stqdies tb be nndi, ditieoted the State El&may Eagimer fd prooeed with qo@itioa of plam ud redeipt of bids for ‘thb &oast+oti& of a bTid&ard ~pproabhbs’at the Brazes River, ard Mmg other thiags not moemary to mmtion, the,,Conmis- aion alao ordered returned several donation6 in the total sum of #S,SCC.CC to the aourea~ fromwhioh they own& Said sum had’besa deposited in the gtafe Ej,ghwqp\lrd v Ellis County, Johmson County, Fort lIbrth Chambei “f Cozimkiob, Dal*8 t%mber of Commeroe, and F&mer6* 8vte Ba&, Yeridiu, T&as, for’tbe pixrpoea of M’raying neoe~aary rxp,sases to %a incurred w the g+mta Highway Da~r+nemt im determini8g where ororsing the Brasoa River shwld be made* These donatioas’havirsg been mado ia purwunob +o uaute me 1s~ dated Hommber 24, 1936 and, aa we understand, Of the mw Cd8~i0~, immediafrly thoreaf’ter. The HighnrJl,S?@aeer adW!e# that itraa not asoo8aary to apead any part of the fund of #S,SCC.OO, and that’it ia the derire of the Bighry Cc8m8iraiorr fo rstura the mm to the doaorr. Aooordingly the W&a Highway Deparat has prom&d It8 olaim to your Depar+ment in the rum’of )S.SOO.OO for rsimbaraemaat of said oouaties, okamber of oameroe, and ths beak. You request okr opiixioa 81 to whether or not you are authodzed to issue the requested warramb.

Irtiole 8, Beotion 6 of the Texar Coriatitution, reada a8 follows: $. No money ehall LXJ drawn fi-om the Troacruxy but fa pursAioe ol %o. rpeoifio appa,priationa mace by lawt Bor’shall aw appropriation of mosey be msde for a loager term thaa txu ysari, exoopt bythe first Legirlatura *2 Hon. Geo. H. Sheppard, page 2 (0-3097)

to assamble under this Constitution, which may make the necessary approprl- ations to carry on the gererrrmsnt until the assemblage of the sixteenth Legislature."

Article 6694, Revised Civil Statutes, provides8 "All funds coming into the hands of the Commission derived fromthe registm- tion fees or other sources provided fop in this subdivision, as oolleoted, shall be deposited vritb the State Treasurer to the nredit of a special fund designated a3 'The State Righway Fund,' and shall be paid only on warrants issued by the Comptroller upon vouchers drawnby the chairman of the Com&s- sion end approved by one other member thereof, such vouohers to be aocompan- ied by itemized showrn s~tatements of the expenditures.3E

APtid@ 6674d, Revised Civil Statutes, contains the following? "All further improvement of said Btate Highway System with Federal aid shall be made under the exclusive and direct control of the State Bighway Dey#IPtment and with appropriations made by the Legislature out of the State Rlghway Fund. . . ."

Article 66i'4e, Revised Civil Sta%utes, reads: “All moneys mw CP hereafter depi:sited in the State Treasury to the credit of the *Stats Righway Fslnd,* including al:1 Federal aid moneys depcasited to the oredit of said fund under ~the teas of tba Federal Hlighway A& and all oountg aid moneys depo&ted to the aredft of said fund under the terms of this Aot shall be subjeat to appropriation for the specific purple &the improvement of said system of the State Highway Dep2rrhnerrten

Whether by general 8~t?atxtie the LagisXj;turo csuld have pEvi.ded for the aollention andexpenditure of thie 'vast fund without the neoessity of Legislative appropriations ifa a question me need not dntnrmineo For the Legislature did not make any suoh attempt. A reading of' the above &atutes, particularly Articles 6674d and 66'74e* shows quite alearlythab the Legislature intended-that the State Highway F'wd should simB$ be a special fund in the State Treasury, and subje& to ,the approp~iat on .by the Legislature. We are borne wilt by Atkins vs. Highway Dept., 20: S.W. 22.6~ Johneon vs. Ferguson, 55 S.W. (Zd) 155. The Legisl&xe :ragularly m&es ep~opriu.tions of thizl fund in tho~same wq Ynnat-it malo% ap$opri&:ions ou<-&the general and other special .fLwjfs in &e State Treaxwy.

We do not oonsidere here the question as to whether an appropriation for the payment of these items would be valid or not. It is sufficient for tne purposes of this opinion to point out that the Legislature has-made no appropriation v&oh could be oonstrued to aover this claim. Hence, we are constrained to answer your question in the negative. Yours very truly

GRLsjs:egW ATTORNEY GEREBAL OFTEXAS APPROVED FEB 4, 1942 /4 Gerald C. Mann By /k/ Glenn R. Lewis ATTCREEY GEEERAL OF TEXAS

As&. stant