Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE AITORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Q-C.YU(I( A-o-
, P! appobted Dy Cawdttee
oxrs,amlalfJo~Dill suppliel for sala cax5tttee, oin is dravn agal.rlst n deflcionay 6hO amme of $2*OQ0.00 iwant- court Dy the Omurnor as a suppleilrsnt to the spprop%ation mmtod by the Regular 80sdom of the Fortydtb Lo~ul~tOre, fowxl at gage 4bd, Aoto of tho Re@lor Sosdoo of the Fortpuixth Leglslaturo, aad dodgnatod 0s itun la. The agproprtAtion oarriw, La fads dopwtzrent, nud.mr A-Bi appropriation Vou will notMe that this clain aurioa &De apporal of Xionortilo dobn iI. shptp, dsm- *2 l&a, ObOm Ee SDeppmd - Ago 3
oiate Jwtioe of tD0 3upmzn Court, anC tho ap
prwol of Uooornblo Btcbar~? Crftz, rtenoaiote
Justloe of tho 3~~000 Court. TDo clain op
pears to bb roglllar Lo wary rofipoct, except
it do06 not carry the apprwn1 cf the ctato
BOerd Of CG?ltt'Ol iOr WCh ~Chr;CaS.
"I rrls0 oa11 your sttentioa to tho &lar to the sp~opriation Dill, fonar; on me 408,
wDnoation D, under Beotion 4 of tha above
dWOrlb~ed Lot, WhhD reads I {All pinting pnd
stntionr~~ uhall Do purahnsed through t.ho xoard
of Control and ahall be ooonfiwd to such aFti- ales ard quality au selobtbd mxl contraato& for
Dy the Board of Control.'
Whlmrlqmrt~td~emy~opl~onu to iemle aarraat to ulIother 910 are mltlloriwd paymbatof t‘hlm slaila+ithoutitanrrfing
thu appwal of chf3 iiicard of Coaatrol.m
Your roquuest rxosonta 0 quo3flon of first h- pomioa in thie dqmWmnf SO &w aa our investigation
has disolosod, uml one of no littlo im~artrmcs.
Qe hwo ewerol tism witton oplnlons upoa the relative pwors of the sosud of Ccntrol 3nd Other d3-
pnrtwnts anri institutiona of t?lo State, alth respect to
purchasing suppll3s, oquipmnt , and the like, but no ewe,
wo boliero, haa bean prorentod wltich oallod for [UI opin-
ion with rss?emt to tho l'elativo rf@ta of tbo Sup'eme
Court nnci tbo uoarcl of Control in respect to web mattars.
Section 21 of Artl.cl3 WI cf th3 Constitution Is OS fo110nsr
gAl1 stationery, and printing, oxoapt proall?Jl?.e9ians and such @.nting 39 my to
dono at the &MU aal hrab A6Jluz1, ppm,
amI tuc31 used in the frs,giislatiro aud other of tha gomrnoont, except t&o
depnrtmats JudiCiSl De~nwmt, ahall b0 Curnisb3d, rind
the pintin% aad binding of the lap's, jour-
Ilale, and dupnrtmnt roporta, and 911 other
printing and binding ati the repairing and
furniohisag tho hzlle an& row used Car the aostings OS thn Legidature nnd its cop-
. .
xoae uao. x. Sheppard - pago 3
zdtteos, shall De partorrad urnor oonfrrbt, to be &on t0 lowe8t rwponoible Did- dar, Delm euchmuimm p-toe, and under such X%gUlatiOIIs, as oholl'be prosoribedby .la8. HO lmmbur or otiica of uly depart-
moat of the gmornaemtobrrll be in any m imtarostefi such contrasts; tunl all suah ooatraots t3hall be subjoat to the apprwal ~mpw~yornor, Merotary of State old Camp ODvlously, statutes upon the subjeot.oS put chases * the Eupreme Court have no oontrolliag aftaot,
U&tgy ure in riolatlom of aq ooa6titutional pthi-
. xhe almy o#nloam we luY0 mtton upon the uuDjeat or tho relative rights of the Ward of Co&r01
and other departmmt43 ahd inatitutione of the State -
motabl7 Opanion Ho. O-880 nod OpLaion No. 01;?813, have
oon8trwd otatutom vhiah were not la naywise contriwy to
any oomstAtlltiomalprovioiom.
Uo, thoroforo, look to a00 if Section 31 of the Constitution above quoted applioe to thin ease.
On the uhol.:,, the Soctlon duals pith tho broil subjodt oP fUrniabl&~~stationory, Finting, -per and fuel uwd in the legislotivo and othor dspartmonfs of tho Govoru- vmat, oxOept the judioial'(1~partmOnt, ati requires tho plr- chmving of such things from tho lwoet rooponeible bidder.
w0 t!aink this pTl6ion is self-onaotirq am& meodn mo om- abliug statute, save only perhaps, in regard to miuimm lxloor; Qmlt?r suoh roylationa OS shall bo ~nMsariE8d by
law .'
This eeotioa 0xgmssll oxoopts from itu opera- tiom, hovevor,*the judicial dopartPent*. Slaao the seo- tion deals with broad eubjeot of PchasOm them nati, and alnoo it epe~ifi~ally tmmpte tbOrOfmu tho judicial
dopartmnt, 80 construe it as Conf'Orring upon the judioial do pclrhaat -- by impliaation but nevsrtheloes affirmtivo-.
1Y - the pousr to u&o such purahasoe as are m&raced ir~thiu the sootion of its own vill, and rithout rtioronao to competitive bi&Ung, or notion by nny other departmnt, whothor leglelotiva or other.
From this it follows that the apprwal. by the *4 noa. UOO* Ii. shoppard - Pqgs 4
6U&PePe t%Wt Of pu‘OhW48 inad OJ it, OP ll&%er it8
authority, for ~80 of the S7apamo Court in atw of itv
Arnctions or rativitloe, iv ~12. t&at is roquirod to
authorbe you to issue a VU%mt for payment Out 0P f+unfl aYailebloPor such pupee.
any ;lubUo 8hottm.r a fund ie attil.3blo for auab pur- pws, hova7er. dependa upon vhethec a? not there has
btoa 0 lOgi6llrti7iJ a~OpF%QtiOn Of ¶i0#10V iOr v~Uh
The superior right of the Supreua Court to eucil 98 ue a-3 here dlecusoing, dow Et2z:kaotcl) not wary vlth it the Surther rl@t to deemnd or z-e-
ceae payuant to 007er euoh 0ontraot or prchasb8,
whom the Lo&ialimreh~ootvMe a spvciflo nppnr
piation theroior .
The Colaet.%tution, Article VSXI, seotioa 6, deolareac
'no money shall be drawn from the but ia pureuanoe of ep3c:flo troesury ep&WOpri8tiOIlr, lrpd0 b;r 1eV) l l av nom 13 of tha appropriation for the Suprvmo court, 08 ooatdncd in u. 1). no. 387, ysrsmd by the lest l,egisl;ltura (Spoinl Lavs Tams, Vol. 2, p. &a) is as
r011ovs:
@For erpansoa to bo inhurred For the poaro isndhg by fills SuprCM QNlrt in 31, Awiust 31, m-t putting into offact the 1040 1941 nulrt-naking Fov0r Aot,
~0~643 bill ~0. r~s, n9gu- lap session, Party-sixth
LogielcAturs, incl~~ all expenses that aby be
inourrad by fhe Suprome
Court in appointing oe
r;ittooe, paying the ex-
pens08 of aucb oomdtt0Os~ postage, pioting, etono-
graphic aamioea, andany
and all othsr 3Xp3MssS in- eluding meoorol~, oe nay be d&wnAnod by SuvJ-
court) proCdad that iC the supram court shall appoint *5 49
non. 080. ii. Ghoppard - page 5
auy ccmlttes oi attomn3ys to aseist it in dravlng
auoh rules, tho Court my
pay the uml3l orp3nsse of
such comlttee, or axg mm-
her thoroot, vhll:, amy
frmhcm,but ohall xiot
pay tuq momb8r O? such uom-
xltte3, may salary or cop
p~ation eor his ~3171068 @,500.00 $2,600.00" The rldw to .ihe Ap-$wpriatlon Bill (H. B. lo, 257) quot8d by you to tho 3es06t Dall pr.lnt%ng end otatioa- cry &all b8 grchnmd through th Eonrd of Control, and
shall be wufined to ouch articles and quality 0s aaloot
ed aad oontraathi for by the Board of Control,* is not
mndatury, but on the contrary is directory only. In
other words, the word nshalla is to be oonetrued as 'CXL~.
This oonstruotion ot the rider is permlseiblo under voll-
estzxblished rules of etatutory aonstructlan. Litsr3liem vtll be i~W&i shen to Solloo it vi11 do oiolenoe to tbo
.pla.ix Lxtention of the LoglsJature. To ?dve the rider ottaot followk~g a litem construction of the rldor,
vould neeesaarily haye one of two offcctr, that is, the
rider itself ;rould ho stricken out as being repugnant, to
jhe otwious intent to anti a -ralid appropriation, or it
would fall for constitutional invalidity ae 501~: vlo-
lntlon of Oection 21, Articls ULI, above quoted.
To construe tbo rider ae boinc, r:iroctory ia a reoooneble construction and PmddJrs tL:, ome a valid ifio- vieion. To exmpt the judicial de:mtzcnt fsm the con-
8titut;ional roquiramnt of oontract for 9rintinF: and
etotfonory, aa p,Qvided in.liect,icn 2l'oi" &ticle X71,
doee not wecooout tho eowts fron: voluntarily -hasing their prIntin!; and stationery throuxh the hoard cf Con-
trol. ~ndoec;, it la our informtion tbnt the Suprem Court itself in mmy lnatancea ) nti pcrhnps East instances, &OeB Dlakt3 its purcl3nsos thr0uq.h the Board of Control for
conqeaienoe sata, and a8 e. mtter of possible ooonorj.
The rider should be conotruti as authorizing tho Board
of Control to xako such purchases and contract nlion and
ii the courte 80 request or op30.
'Lho sp30ieic appro7i9ntlon for the eiaaal year 0-w .-gust 31, 1040, bne beun oxb:watcd, md, 3s you
non. 000. tl. Sheppard - pga 6
state, tho Govarnor has approved a daftcicncy claim upon tho application ot tho Supmaw Court In the cum or Q2000.00, 77hhh 0~0 was OX~~OSE~Y for uso during thttt riecoi pm.
There ie therefore no available fund for payment of thim claim, and vi11 not be until the Legisloturo has made an appropriation to m8ot the Gwernor~s deflciono~ ollwanoe. So that, in anjr wont, most that OM nor be done 18 to issue the ueual aab ordinnry dofioioncy vu-rant, payable only when and ii tho Loglsloture heroafter makea an appro- pLation thereor.
Vary truly yours ATTORXZX GSH3ML OF TEX#I w %& Aesistant