,..: 

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Hon. v. a. Gooaman, 

Ploe-C%afrmsn of thp a05mtt30 

areatad by I?ouse Simple Reeolut1oo 232, 

d7lea subject. 

ur letter at resent 

at on ~the above 

r letter 88 ~ollowar 

on es to thetlldlt~ 

rim3 in Fort Korth 

They tell IPO that Home 

n ZWie noi a valid reoolutlon tLtre Em an opinion on riause 3inlple Resoluplezacnt to Ecuas Simple Resolution E32, 

t a~go~rf~te~ $2,500.00 far the aons oo?a!!lttce. Th4y date the ~oxdlxq of 

the supplement ciid not awake House Simple Reeolutlan 232 

vaua in8O!htmii a8 ft &ass ae 8 baslta for the eppm#lrtion ?c':,!.l~e xmp3.s 232. 

+l?hfj r9eson I wnnt t!i!e o,?inlon is that 8 greet 

4s~l of ar1tl.cI.m 1~ aevelopirq? bemuse of t.*.e Imotivity 

or t.5.18 comittae. T%.I public 1s crltlaizlni: nll msmhem of this comfttee. Xe are fiavlng to t&e this orit- 
. 

iclopl beqauae the Cheirman will do aothlng about jt 

and lithis eontinnea, I shall be aompeled to nsk 

for dissolution of thJs oommittee. 

*It 1s a shame thrrt the Stata’s money should: be 

8pwnaerea in thi8 ~~pmier ana met o~pooifilly th8t 

such D need lnoastipation Is not being Dade. 

*I will fqi~reoieta your opinion on t%e vdlialtp of this resolution. Personally, I do not believe the aoaznlttae has any authority whatsoever 

to aat after,ths Ss~sion. I want your oplnlcm in 

owe I cianxwt strai@ten tkis out and get somethln5 done.* 

On.Xay 3 104pI, H3use Bimplo Resolution Ro. 8X:, provtding fo'or a 60848 i tt4e to lnrcsiigatc tht sale of ecrtaln meet 

rrum deed, @aaeezous and other sick animals, WWJ offered ana 

adoptal by the House of Reprere&:t6tfrco. TM5 rerolution ape, 

earson pages EM3 and 362% al the Boua4 3~1~91 Tsxa4 &th 

gi8laturs. ,l!hir oandttes wae 4mp4wered to hoid lnrsstl 

t$ons, qnaui~na rltneaeas, eoaq!el their attendanue, punnisb $' or 

eoatempt, Jiafre taoir OS,, ,rMe, of ..pmc.edura ,~a&.. *port. :tbslr. ,i:~. ~: ~. .,z ; ~~ ..;~'.'~::::;:,:~;'~iadinrjrr, fa'.;s)l*. &,&&&&, Q,jyln;j, the #ytv &&&$on by hag :i 

future rresa fan. On the same day unanimous aonrent 148 @tmtcM 

to increase We melabers or the oonrmlttee from fire to eight end 

the Speaker a? the Rouse appointed the meeabere of tba eomgitte=e. 

See page d639 of F&use J-1. 

On May 11, 1943, the eommlttea eppointoa by virtue of 

House Simple R&solution No. Z38, reported to the House the work 

that had bsen.done by the eomfalttae. Thlu report a .mara 

pages SO61Co 9063 of the ZMise Jourrml, the % 

on 

cantan 8 of whlah 

attempted to show the as lotible oonaltlona exlstlnF ~Sn the 

stookyarde anb 414umsAp plants 0r IAlE state ihe report 

ooneluded with ths &eommendetlon thst the eomml~tee be ln5tru6teQ tc ml4 rwther lnveot~gationa in en errort to formulate 'adequate J.s&lotion thd ~111 etop the aal6 of dlseasd 

meat for humm oonsmptlon. On the 8-e day, Rouse Simple 

R44oktioa fro. 306 wan Sfcred and adopted. It ocean in part 

aa follbws~ 

"Be It Resolved that en approprlati~:m of twenty-five hunarec! ($&,500.00) Uoll~rre be agnpriatea 
Hon. V. 6. Qosdman, p. 3 

out 0r the ormttnr&r.~ expense funO of t?,e ?!wse of 

Kepr4aentdJvee tar the :~urpone or bermyinq the aPeres or aald ammittee %rtfr the 4:?t!l Legislature 

h88 adjourned, In order that aaid oommlttec, operatin& under House Simple E;eaolut!on ho. 232, map oontlnu4 to lnvostlgate and brire to ?ubllc attent~lon 

suah praotiaas, in order th:t such practice6 may be 

a0pp0e .* 

The Suprdae Court or Texas in tha aesa or Terr411 ve. 

zing, 113 Ter. e37, 14 3. '3. (26) 786, held thet elthar nouse of 

the Leglalature by its own resolution ooul6 areato snd author164 

a ao6u&ttse to sit and aot after adjournment al the a4eslon. ws 

quote in part, from the dealsion aa follorasr 

*Sitme eaoh hous 4:~ntinuaa in exlst4noe after 

th4 end of n le(Zinlatlve neesion, a6 aet4tin4d in 

Brergoson v. Maddox, 114 Tex. 93, 95, 98, 383 S. W. 

0W3, nna sin06 sach boufm le invested with inaepend- 

..~. ", sat respoeeiblllties ana dutle6, and 1~ the a010 

jad~d~or Its ownrules of pmo4abr4, w4l$zinh the 

porrsr of eaoh houaa or or the Lsglelature oannot 

be~aenled to nam4 oofilmltt446 tosit, either during sses1om of the Leglelature or in ro0e88~ ror tb 

purpose of fiathorln~g 1nSor;;stl.w 00mid4ree regul- 

;:z;~ or helpful t4 tnll6hteaed or 4~14lent legisla- 

. 

Vhts authority of oaoh houao to use laglslatote 408dtt04s 0r inquiry sad invegt*tlon $8 affinned in Cooley*s Constitutional Umltations (8th 

Ed.) at page 275, where the author s4y6: 

**&ah hause mat also ba alLorrred to prooecd 

in Its oun way In the aolleotlon of such lnformetion a6 may aeam laportant to 6 proper diechar of 

:tafbn~~tirine Ena whenever It la deem44 daeirable 

that wftness46 should be 4xmufmC, the power and authority to a0 84 is very properly referred to a ooamlttes, with any power6 650* of rlnal l8&latlv4 

or judlclal aotion a6 may s4em neoessary or expedlent in the prtloulbr oese.*+ 

This deaf&on ie also .4n expra9sslon of the reoo@aiacsd loglslatlve praotloe in Texas. 
Hsm. 8. Il. t&odmaB, p. 4 

In Opin. Ho. O-Q% thin depsrtarent held thet s 

simple ho2sc resolution may create fi co.mmittee end eutborlz6 

it to At end mat after adjoufna;ent of thc~ stmslon but JUYlr* the tsrm of 0CPice 0: the Legioletura, 

Rouse Simple R+solutlon No.. 232 areetnd a aommlttee 

to make lnvestl~tlons into sales cf diseased meet for humsa 

OOllRQUlFtiOQ BGd to report to the 49ttr S8ssl,on Of the Lc~lslsturn or any hmme saasion. This Is +nd,iaative of the fast thnt 

the oommlttee K'RE empowered ta alt and aet after adjournment 

of the pressnt xasslon, esgeclally so in vlcw of thfi limited 

time batwetr the crertlon of the sommittee and the adjounment 

of the Le&iilaturs. Se art? thus of the opinion that gouse Simple 

Rgeolutfon NO. h3% created a cotbafttee wi:ich GOrild s:t ani? eat 

after the adjournment of the i.ecislntureT 

Assuming the oommltteca creeted by I&use SlmpLe Raeolu- 

,tlon Ro. 232 did erpirs upon the sdfoumacnt of the 48th I.s&sAatum, although we belleve to the oontmry~ neverthslsss, thiu 

cWtt.ee wa8 revived by House Slmpla Reeolutlori Ro. So6 rhieh 

sxtendd the oommlttee arPetsd by !&use Slmpls ReeolutI.Cbn Be. 

Z3e to sperats after the adjournxaent of the 48th Legisiaturtb and 

~: U~plWJPiUtsd 8~ ‘OWtlkiB (i- MIt; ~Oi fhC~:,tdS@&tiC~‘cr*p~d~~flld 

of the Gouse 0r liepreseatatlvea gor the purpose of defrayln$ the 

mxpsnses af the oomudttee. 39% believe that a resolution ean be 

ravlved by a subsequent rwsolution with mrG?mEtIS 01&y toits 

tltls wititout a reeltfitj.nn of Its eontents ss required bf a law, 

ulnae the court.m do make a dirtlnotlon between a'resolutlon and 

a law. We tioshelm v. Rollins, 79 8. &. (28) 678, writ of error 

dlsaisaed. 

It 16, ‘thawrors, the oplnlon or thin depaWnt that 

Rouse ~lmpls Resolution No. ~ZS?., 48th~&gislature, is a valid 

msolutlon and the aonm<tes oreated thereby may sit adl aot. 

after~the mdjdurnment of the 48th Legislature up to the aonveuing 0r th* 49th Ls&izleturs. 

Very truly yours 

BY /a/ Fred 0. CharidLer' 

Auslstmnt 

By /a/ 'Robert 0. Koah