OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS **AUSTlN**



# Dear Sir: OpinionNo. 04093 Ret Door Wk. 

# TeamHl&way Departm+nt 

### hare 

# authority to@ystroy l 

### uoh 

### old nporbr anU noordm b&oh ax-o no% 

# a0050a.

**important** 

### or whloh us 

### not nupporting;

to other dofnment8h 

### Thirr Will a0rnow10dgerooalpt 

### or your 3atter 

### of Ootober8, 19&l,whereinyou xaque6t the optnlonof thls Dopart- &latent 

### on the iaot **8ituatlon** dt 

### out thereina8 tollowar

“For 

### a number of years in the past, this Depnrkment bar noouaulat~da vast aiwunt of ol& rsoomle oonaiotlng or 

### uetai1su

reports

al&u buplioata

reooreu

uhioh ara not important beaauas the orlglnal or swh raoord8 are on **file either**  **In tlm**  **Highway Oaparbaent**  **or the**  **Stat44 Oomp**  

### troller'sorrioe. Ibet 

### of these 

### moor&s hare not 

### bee wed or~roferreb

to ln severalfbara. "'6-W. you please advfue this Departmentii we hnoe authorityto deatroysuoh 01.d r'eport%andreoords' whioh are not deemed 

### lmportsntor which are not supportingto other documenta? It is not our desire to deetroyany otficialmlriutea

or their oupportlngpapers,nor any **project oonstruptlon**  

### files,nor importantoorrespondenoe. Your early ,advlos

wfl.1 Le eppreolated.e ~Bnared on these faote you **ank us**  **the foll&tng**  

### qu%stion: DOW the TexasEl&way Departmenthave 

### the authority to destroy such old reportaand ~oords nhich are not ~eemad lqortnnt 

### OF which **are not**  **sup%sti:?g to**  other ~ooume~ltS, where .the orl(;iml of such 

### reoords am on x3l.e 

### wither In the Ri&hwny Reportmentor the kitate Comptroller*8

oitioe?I@. D. C. Greer, page 8

Tlw Texas XlghwaJ papartatdat, being l area&m of the **8tatUt%** a8 a gOverWUinta1 ag8noy, hU8 **O&Y** those p~uera #at are 

### oonferredupon it by **the** statute, elthm expre88Q or by neoessary lzaplloatlon. iYe have been.

unable to tin4 any 

### provieion

ln the 

### statuteoreating the Tour8 Xl&away Department, which would authoriza the Dsgartrmnt, to destroy any of it8 original rsoords, and themfore no lapse of tiaie would authorice **the** Qestaxctlon of arty original rcoorda cf the Highway **Dope+ent.** A8 we understand tfle qwstlon propounded in your lett4r, **hOW%Ver,** :t is Wh8th%r Or tlQtthe tighUu,y Department ha;etzzhght to Cemtroy copies af detailed rsgorte an4 dupll-

- wkioh 6re not lqbrtant booauee the 

### orlglnalaor suoh reoor4i'are on file either la the Xlgbviay Pe~artaent 

### or 

## thestats Comptroller~o 0rri00. It La ,tbo 

### opinion 

## of tide Departxent an4 you are thererors **udvlem6** 

### thqt in tha oa80 or the80 rc~oor48,whe~ thci origlqale thi3r00roh r&aim4 in the flleo of the Xi&may Bopartmnt or the Stabs Oo8p~rell&8 **offfa that**  **you woulQ**  **be autihorlned**  **to** 

### 43wtxwptha 

### aogles

. You un4eratand 

### or, oourui

### that

We opinionI8 

### roertriotod

to the ~pooifio,raot 8ltuationpro8imteb La your letter or Ootober 3, 1943, and 8hull not be eon8ttie4~~ 

### holdias that the Xl&way Depart&et kan geimral authority to **dbrtroy** it8 0ia x000*8.



### Trut3tlng

thut 

### thio,

unmer8your.

### queetlon, we ar8 Yours' very truly

FIRST ASSISTANT ATTORNEY Gm

**COMM ‘** **ITEU**