Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
EOaOrabla George EL 8heppard
Oao9tmller of Eublia Aaoouatr
Austin, Tex%r
Boar Sirt
iB 8eMtO cluoioa thlr dspartlaent d wuulci br authorized to ry itara listed la Sonatr 1 Approprl8tions Bill egu,ular Gasofon of the Forty-elxth d mapaks two half-this gositfons out n %ub&tted aalla ter o%r int%rpnt%tfon of ned Aot passed at the rqular %e%sioa of the For+•fkth Legislature, known au the Dsparta%&t%l Q= Aot, aaktnij %pproprt%tiok for support and proprlation maintsnanos of the sxeoutiro and adafnistratlre depertmenta and %g%no;%% of tb% stat%,GooaraIo%at for tbs tw&yeaP period, brBina$.ng B%ptsmb%r 1, 1939, and snciag Awust 31, 1941. *2 31
Ron. George 3. Shsppara, Yags #a. Be mu& rim
look to the p~orf8fons of this Aot for
the ausuer to your qiwatiou. If, after doing 80, there is doubt a8 to the intention of the Loglslature, ue my then OOnStPUe or lnterPr8t It by oertaln wall-known rules of oonEtruotIon~ but If from the plain wording or statutory the Aat there can be no doubt as to what the Lsglalatum Intendad, thsn there I% no room for OoaatruotIon. For In 39 T.x. JU3-. P. 160 et 809.. It Is ttald: 'The general rule Is that a oourt will not ammo to aonatrue or Interpret a rtatute there Is no neee%aIty Sot It to do so+ that IB, if statute Is l u%oeptIble 01 but one oonatnto- tion. Cm the aontra it is eattled m%ay deolslons that there B BO X’OOB for OOnStlUOtiOn 7'
wh%n the law 1% ex?resssd ia plain and unauibiguoua laz&y~ae and Ita meaning IB %lear and obvious. In auoh a case the ler will be applied and eaforo- ed %a it reads, regardless oi its poli;rorbm- pose, or the juatioe or its etreot.
worda, a aourt Is not authorized Indulge In OOllj8OtW3 6% to the intention Of Lt($sbture, or to look to the oonsequenoea of a particular oonatraotion, unless the ntianing Is doubtful. But of oouri~e taot that an aot la plain and unambiguous in oertaln reapeotr dose not preclude the oonatruation If, in other reapeota, Its lean- Lag la doubtrul.- we have eraslned the A& and here reaohed the oonalu- slon that a proper anmwr may be made to your question with- out the neoesalty OS reaortlnd to rule8 of oonst~otion. : Saerer, it has been earnestly In%Isted by som who are
interested in obtaining an ffirmetire answer to the qu88- that the Aat doe% not apeoliIoelly iahlblt thou aubzdttab the head oi any depertzent or other eznploying agenor named therein from employing tmo or more pewsons to work part- tima end pay th%m out of a apeoIfIo appropriation mde to pay the salary of only one person, th%refore, the Legla- leture haa leit the question to the dlaoretion or euoh orfloiale. In defersme to the wishes OS t'tose who ao 'oonterul, we bare dsolded to rerfem the Aot an6 oonatru% it In the light of the 1s~IalatIte history oil the &.(*%+-for the purpose of a%c%rtaInIng the legtalattte Intent, "the eahenoe 0r the law.* fop the tsxy “object or oonstz'uotion ia to aaoertela and enforoe the leelslstI~8,i~t8nt, and not to befeat, nullfry or thwart it.- 59 Tex. Jut. PP. 166, 169.
Ron. George 8. Sheppard, Page #S.
In ArtIole 10, Revised Stetutes, the Legislature be6 preaorlbed eertaln rules SOT ths conetruotlon of laws. gsotion 8 of %aId artfols read%:
"In all InterpretetIons, the oourt shall look diligently for the Intention of the Leg;%- lature, keeping In view at all times the old law, the or11 and th% rem8dy.n a8 a
The oourts have frequently olted this statute oa~nand to be follcr?e& by them. Tams Bank & Trust Co. tit.
Austin, 115 Tax. gO1, 280 6. Vi. 161. In the oase Just olted, there Is found a quotstion taken from the opinion in the 0868 of Kontolair vs. Eam%dell, 109 U.S. ME, 27 L. ad. 431, rhioh announoel another important rule or o'on%truotIon,.rhIeh Is:
"It Is the duty or oourt to give erreot to every olanae end word of a statute, avoiding, ii it may, any OOlU!tNOtiOll whloh Impllee that ~8s ignorant of the meaning ot the the Leelsleture language employed.* The foregoing, 6% wall-as all other established rules of oonstruation, are to be applied by the Attome? Oeaeral when he Is oallsd upon by a Publlo offioial, whces It la his 0onstItutIonal or statutory duty to advlee, to oonstrue govsraing or app-~rteining to the or Interpret a ststute oltloial duties or that offlaer.
The Attorney Cenarol, like the courts, is not oonoern- ‘ed with ths pollo~, purpose or erfeot of the law. RIB duty Is to give a d0PInite statement of what hs oonceIvss to be the law, and whsn that duty 18 periormsd, his function ends.
Xe%pfng in minr' et all times what has heretotore been we will retler legislative history relating to written, the aubJeot and examine the Act Involved for the purpoee of aaosrteinfng the exprsased or implied int%nt of the Legis- lature as to the question at hand.
In the general rider attaahed to the De~artm%nh3=7fF propriatiion Apt, pasted at First Celled Seaelon of the Fortieth Leglrlsture, p. 306, meking an appropriatIoa for the support and tnainteoanoe of the State Covernn%nt for the
Ron. ,aeorga H. Sheppard, Page #4.
tWO-Year mrfod bt&uiIag September 1 1929, and ondlng Augtlat 31, 1951, la round thl8 prOviafon:
“Protldod, however, that head ol any doMrtment or the State GOTc:rnment, or any Board or Cootmlsrion or tho State Government, may use Oll4plOyO~5 to rill 8ily position prvvidod P8l’t-tiltW for 1x1 thla Aot at 8 8alary not to oroeed mo,re than 0nd8ir or the mount appropriated ror EllOh posltlon*"
X0 haTe read all goaoral depsrtnaatal appropriation bllh passed by the Legl#&tute sin06 1877 and prior to 1927, and In nona of them do w iIn4 this or a &ailar provision. T&la ldentioal pro~laloa, or one wbstantlally the same, la found in all auoh subsequent appropriation bills, oroept the one we em now oonslderlug. Sea Aota ot the 3rd Called seasion, 4ist Legislature, p. 454; hota of the Reg. Se& 42nd Log., p. 7301 hots of Reg. SOS. 43rd Leg., p. 510; Aota of Reg. See., 44th LO&, p. ilb?* Aots or the Reg. SBII. 45th Leg., p. 1889.
'Bra do find in thb Acts or 1915 a speOlfl0 rider to the pproprlatlon made to the State Feolamation Dcpart- lnsnt to‘ pay ralaris8 0r semn teohnloal esoiatanta whioh read6 an Iollowa;
*Provided that the roregoing salarks of as*lstants, being meximrnrP amounts, the State Reolamntlon Engineer, In hla dlsoretlon, 1s hare- authorized to reduoe the aano; or divide the nurriaum or reduoe tho salary of any one of the said asalatents between two e,lzplopoor~ or to abolish any one or the said poaitioas, taaporarlly or otherwlrro, applying the salary tbereot to tho general ellottment ror the rurttsr proseoutlon or the authorized work or the department; and ha 1s rurther authorized to employ all asslrtantr for euoh psrlod or time, not @xtendlng beyond th4 seoond rlsoal year, a# the boat IntOreSt of the State may ineloat8. ..,.*
Belther the abo?i rider nor any 8ImIlnr ,rldar wa* taohad to BBy subsequent appropriation atada to thin or aw other named departmoat prior to 1.939.
8on. George FI. Sheppard, Face #5.
Nalthor do suoh bll1a provide by speolilo approprla- tlona zade to any departnmt ror the mploynent of part- time employa~, l xoept in two lnstanoes ehoro cuthorlty wa rlton to the State IAbrary employ part-tine sssls- taeat. 'OS aaaistcnta. Aota of the 1st Called Sea., 37th MS., p. 2OOg Aot8 Or 34 Called Sea., 36th Leg., p.
ea. It is probable that other similar approprletlonn wm -da prior t0 19271 ir SO, We did not rind th6#Ii.
fn early appropriation bllla pasted at a tlm rhea thsro were but raw detpartnsnta and few en$loyea, it war ouataaery to make 8 apeolrlo appropriation ror each posl- tlon to be illled, but as the population of the 8tnta in- aronwd, not only new departments wore areated, but now dutlea ware imposed upon the sxlating departmenta, nooea- aitating more OUljdO~OO8 whloh resulted in 8 ohenge Or this polloy.
We have been unable to rind in any general depart- mental bill passed by the Lsglalaturs subsequent to 1899 and .prlor to 1939 whore eeoh aclarfed posltlon in every dsparfmnt we.8 Itemized separately and a spool~lo appro- priation made to pay the salary of eaoh individual employee.
In all auoh forner approprietlon blllr, the praotloo pro- veiled whom provialoa wna aade for two or more employees doing the same character of work to make an approprlntion substantially In one or the other or the rollonlng rormel
Tiinb Aasietent Tax Supervisors, $21,600;" T3fanographars, eight at pl,SOq. oaoh, b12,000;n *Stenographers, nono aroeadlng pl.350. par year, $18,9Oc,- or in 80zm sinilnr tons.
Senate Bill Vo. 427 haas ainglod out, ~peofZlocl11y named, ldentlfisd by nuuiber each and e~srf salarlrd position in all or th* dspartmentr,end ror saoh has made a 8pe0irio approprlatlon to pay the salary or the ar.8m- film3 8 partloular poaltlon. This lr a radios1 epnrture ~rrokit followed for et loeat forty yecrs by mood- the prnotlas lng le~lslatures. The provision, hsretiifon quoted, end whloh riratrpl-
psnred in tha general rldmr attaohrd to the gsnsral nPPrO- printion bl11 or 1927, authorizing the employment 0r part- time r,ployss and rovad ln 811 aubaequont bills of this rind passed prior to 1939, '11116 satiraly omlttsd fras this bill. Ror is there to be round ia its general rider any Eon. George H. Shappemi, Page #d.
rerereaoe whatever to part-tine employees, Thle we (I de- Pm’tura iron Prsotioe l stabllahed by the Legislature 10 1927.
In rddltloa to the general rider appearlq at the end of the bill, there la attached to the epeolflc epproprietlcae slade to aone partloular departments a apeolal rider only applicable to that department. ?or instaaoe, there Is s rider on tho 6ppropriation mnde to the Bcxrd of Control whloh reads as followar
*It 1s rurther provldod that one-halt or the appropriation lteea for run-tire4 watohmea, yardmen, portora, and all items for full-tlao olerator opera- tors ln the state Board of Control pproprlatloaa say enoh be ooarerted into part-tiae posltlona.~ LUo other provialon of this kind appears eleewhere in the Aot. %hy ~6110 it inserted here? It evidently war intended to serve eceie purpose. The language used 1s algalrloant end olearly expreasoa the legielatlte intent as to the positions mmed. These positions, like all other salaried positions prorldod for in the Act, tire nesed, numbered and oarry a rpeolllo approprlatioa for eaoh posl- tioa. Rorlelon la made for nurserota watohmen, yerd-aen, porters arid eletetor operntors, only one or which, en elevator operator’, ia olassed as a Wpart-timew position.
All of the other poaltlona referred to la the rider mat be oonsldored as afoll-tfrPeW positions baosose they aro 80 designated in the rider. It appeere to ue that the Legia- lnture evidently intended its referenoe to suoh poai- tiona as Vull-tiae- poaltlons that it oonaldered all positions Mned la the Aot to be olaasified aa saladed such, unless It had otherwise provided by designating a pertloular position as a apnrt-tlnew one. The Lagisla- turn la preeumb to here known exeotly what was la the Aot sad that the usual rider oarrlod rlaoe 1925, In all prexloua note or this ehnraotar permitting heads or the reapmotive depnrtments fill any aalarled position by two or more eaployeea End been omitted. Xt must hare oonoludad that with such a provision out Or Act, th* Bcerd or Control oould not hlra 98rt-tlZ84 e~lo~ee&JSX the positions neaad unlens the authority was aPeoifioellY grunted to it by a rider, erospt in one inet8nOe or the pert-time elnyator operator, eapsolally authorized else- Ii suoh waa the oonstruotlon or the where in the Aot.
Hon. Oeorgo Ii. Sheppard, Peg0 87.
Loglalatura as applied to the Board or control, la it not raaronabla to assume that it 80 aonstruad the &at ln lta entirat]r? *
In oonneatlon nlth what we have just. said, yIa aall you attention to the fast that the Aat makes, in addition to tha Part-tina elevator operator heretofore referrod to, nuaerou8 speolflo pproprlatlona tor part-tlEe araployaea in other departments. To believe all ot auob pnotiaallp approprLetlons are as follows:
State Board of Dental Examinera, ltex e, wSearetary SlCeOr- Board of Insuranoe Commissionerr, c~a- pa-t-tlae ualtt Iwuranae Division Workaaen*a Corn ensation Seation, item e3, *adaltional help, part tine, & 600;” and agala in the Xotor Vahlale Insuranae Seotlon ol said Dlvlalon, ltea 1.2, *Adaltlonal l?elp, part-time, $%OO** Dureau of Labor St6tletlas, itcur. 19, *Porter, *crrt time, $360;* Boxing and Wrestling Division, same Bureau, lteaa 3, 6, 7, 8, four boxiw deputies, part tifa, aaoh @GO;* alao item 9 and lO,qw (2) wrestling deputies, part time eaah $600,* end item 10, payable out of Bollar Inspeotlon tuna , *porter, part time, $X30;* Stste Department OS Education, Board of Zxaninsrs Division, items 6 and 7, *one part time al%&, $400,w ena *one *art time olark, $200, * also, in Diolalon of Resaarah and Statletloa, item 11, “part tine and seasonal help, $lSOO;* Cama, Flah and Oyster Commlsslon, lt%ue 11 and UT?, *TWO arsla- tant aooountants, part t&e, eaah $900;” Texas State Parks 308ra, item 13, *janitor, part tlxe, ,IZOO;" Raflroad Cam- mlaslon, Xotor end Trsnrportatlon Dlvlrion, item 18, ,-air pert tine clerks at $SZ eaah per month;” 011 and Gas Dlvl- sion (near end or appropriation), item 3, “%i&cbt pert time olerks, aona sxoeedlng $32 per xonth;* item 4, “four (4) part time olerko, uone eroeeding 137.50 per month;” *part time Cleric 2900;* a160, Stamp Tax State Treasurer, Dlvislon, “part time porter, cZaO.*
mm Aot of [1939] makes 6pealflo awroprletlons to pay solar108 of only two olas8es of eialarlea employees, OS* it olassaec as mpert-tlae* anal.the other aa ‘lull-tfne.* ,~hos% llstsd above era deffnltely p%pert-time employeei. SOnn Uf them are not axpeoted to wrk full time eaoh day, but Only ~a part thereof. They are not of same Olass al those provided ror or authorize6 by a rider fcund in heretofore *8 Ron. George it. Sheppard, Page 18.
the approprlntlons bill8 slnos 1926. Their position8 ara sapeoially orsated by a rpeoiflo appropriation mada for that purpoee. Wills the part-time employsee ruthorlzea by such ridors are pld from an appropriation wde for e full-time. position, whloh may be broken down at the dieoretion of a department head, and filled by two or more-pert-time amployeae whose aombined salaries may not oxoeed the calary provided ior the full-time amployee in that position. Therstora, part-tlae amployeae provided for by epsoiilo appropria-. tlons in all suah appropriations bill8 sinae 1926 and prior to 1939 wae intended by the Lopielature to be oumulatlva oi and in addition to those authorized by the rider round in auah bllla. But, in the Aat of 1939 there ie no auoh rider, henae there is no epeolilo authorization for a department head to take a ep~aiflo appropriation to pay ona employee in a partioular salaried poaltlon and pay hi8 ealary to two OT more ar.sons for parrormlag the duties ansigned to that poeltion. Suoh employees may properly be olassed ee *halt-time” aaployees.
.’ The Legleleture in 1927 la not preemed to have done a ueeldre or unneoersary atfaohing the part-tlue thing rider the general appropriation bill. It was plaoad there- in tor a purpose. It evlaently waa or the opinfbn that a dapartgent head oould not legally do mhat the rider auth- orized or pernltted him to do, othexwlea it Would not have been inserted, thereby establlahlng a new poliop of anploy- ment,
The presont Leglelature evidently intended to ahange that poliay whioh had erieted for the lant twelve years, ,’ and to adooaplieh that purpose omitted the rider that eetab-
llshea the polloy; otherwles, it would have retained the rider in the Aot.
Xn the general rider, attaahed to the present Aot, there la found a provision whloh we beliave to be elgniiloant, espeolally when ooneiderod in oonneation with the iaOt that eaoh salaried position la speolEloally named, numbared and an appropriation made to pay the salary of t ha person employ- 0a ror that partioular poaltlon. This provision reads as followa:
“Salary Paymante. !Jo salary ror Ilrhloh an appropriation ie made herein shall be paid to any BOIL oeorgs F?. Shepptlrd, hge #O.
person unlere suoh person eotuelly discharges eenl;n- ed dutle8. Zvhsry month the head of eaah departasnt ~ha1.l attach to ths payroll for his depertmsnt an arrldaolt, under oath, stating that the person8 1Lsted fn aaid payroll aotuallp PerfOmid the duties for whlah they mm being paid. The Comptroller f&ill not lsaue warrants ror the :ayn;eot 0.f eelartse listed 05 oeld payroll u5lese this afrldavlt 18 riled xith hiza. Each dspertmont head shall oaaber oon- eecutlrely the selerled positions In hts departnsnt for which en appropriation i!, made horslo (Olthsr out 0r the ceneral Rev45ue Fund, roe8, reoeipte, 8~4olel ruuda or out of other fund6 avellabls ror uio by aald dapertnaat) and opposite the &web& or t&4 Camptrolfor. who ohall. when lssula~ his uer- rent to-any sv~pioyes in peheut of saler]r due aid 4mploy44, o-bar ths xarroot with ths same numbor that is aaoignsd to the position flllad by said employ44. Every deprtmont heed ohell notlry th4 Colaptroller in writing of any changes lo per~ono01 in hlr depertaont. This provision shell not apply seaaooal help, and shall not provent pore048 drewlng their sslery mrranta during euthorlzed veoetlon porlods.*
Thle provision ekes it meodatory upon the head or a doperWent to list end nunbcr oaoh selarisd position In his * dqxmmmt; set out the title or the position and the oeme Of
thb person enplopsd to riu the eeme~ meke arrlaevit to the errect thet the perooo so lieted perrorrmd duties for whloh ho wea paid; and file aazn4 with the Comptroller.
It'app4ers to us that the Lagleleturs hes 8p4olfl44lly numbering, mining and Enking a s9eoitlo appropriation tar 4aoh salaried ~ositioo end then iollowi?g ths 5884 with striot ths rrquiroments enumsreted la thie rider that all such salaried po4itior.m were intoodsd to bs fillad by 004 pereoo only, un- 1448 othrrwlso providsd tot lo the AOt, suoh 08 r4 %aVb hsre- tororo notsd.
*Aa 'appropriation' hea been dsrlned 46 en authority or the leqlelaturs, given et the prowr time end in loge1 forai to proper 0rrio4re, to 'Hon. George R. Sheppard, Page Pl.0.
appl7 a dlatltiotly 8p40iri0 sum rrom a daeig54ted fund out of the traasury, in a &lveo yeer, ror a apeoiiled obfeat or demand against the stat4.e 23 R.C.L. p. 396.
It is provided In Seation 6, Artiole 8, of our Constitu- t105 that:
~No~mo54y ehall be drown froz treeeury but in pureuaooa of apeolflo appropriationa made by &w."
Our courts have not oonetrued or defined the term -apeo- irio appropriations,? insofar a8 we have boon abls to asoer- tab. The Supreme Court of Sebreska has derlned that term, es used in an fdsntloal provialoa appearing fn ths Cooatltu- tlon of that State, to *meen e partioular, e dsfinits a llmltsd, 4 preoise appropriation.* State 4x 141. Bnsign v.
Kallioha, 12 Ipeb. CO?, 11 KU. 860.
It 8eem8 to us that the Legislature has, by ths hot under revlow made a partioular, definite, limited and gre- 01~4 appropr etlon for eaoh and every aalarled position pro- i
vided for therein, and so oiroumeorlbed mm4 with re- atriotlooa, oooditiooa end limitations as to preolude any position being iillad by more than one person at the aene time, or to permit the salary approprlstod theretor to bs divided between two persons working half-tine or part-time thereat, unless otherwie4 epeoltioall~ provided 15 the Aot.
In view or the Lsgialatlvo hiatory or the gensral de- @artmental appropriations bill8 pasaod the Leglalature sin08 1877; the legislative history or the *half-tiaw rider, appearing in all suoh bllla ainos 19254 Its ti8elOn fr0m ths present Aot; the provisions, l,tiitetion8, restr~otiO5a end oondltlons. round lo the ep4olel rldor atteohad to the apprd$riati.on made to the Board of Gontml, end in the ganer- al rid4r; the faot that 0~400ue epeolfia appropriations wore mado to"~e~afn'~aepartmeots ror ;art-time employeoa, and all other relevant raote end airoumstancea herdtoiore dieouaa- ed, we are foroed to the conclusion that your question should be enewersd in the oegatfve.
r4 era advlaed by advooetss of a contrary Oonstr~lOtiOO that Individual members of the Leglelnture have stated that the authority to employ half or part the employees, by eplit- ting 80 it45 or appropriation, was ouittsd from the present *11 . .
Ron. Goorge B. Sheppard, Fags #ll,
bill inadvertently. suoh rxpraaaiona of oploloo, however, aennot be uo4d by this Do$artmeot a8 a proper beala for eoeotnent. The intent oooatruotloo 0r aoy~lagialatlva of the Logialature a law must bs gleaned imu the iB paeslng lenguage or the Aot it84lr -- iron what the Lsgialeturo did, have intended to, but did rether than ircm what it,might oat,, dn -- by the epplloation of well known end oomo5ly understood rules or oonatruotioo. 10 oo lostanor map the oeenlog of e law, thu4 esosrtsloed, bs verled by loformetlon ooovoycrd individual leglelators that, to their knowledge or in their oplaioa, a contrary meaning was lntsnded.
Intsrpretatlona reeohsd by auah methods would result in lntolerabl4 ootiuaio5 and unosrtainty in our laws.
Our answer la limited to qusetion submitted. x8 do aot pass up05 the queatioo as to whether, uodar approprla- tfona made to asrtaio dspartnoots ior oontiageot or other axcp(Ineea, the head4 or euoh depsrtnoot.8 my w~ploy extra help and pay then out of such approprfetioo. That qU48tlOn is not before ue..
Youra very truly ATTORNEYGZNERALOFTEXAS A--w.q*
BY Bruoe 19. Bryant Assistant BWB:pbp
APPROVED AUG 23, 1939
.u-
PIRST ASSISTANT
ATTORNEY GENE&&