Ol=F!CE OI= THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS

. ._ AWWIN

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. honorable J. S. ?kmMcort :100utivo Dlroctcr $tste %e;;i:rt-,rJ::t of ZubIic hlfsre
:.utin, Texas

Snd FTW?ti.CCtS pertmnt or 3u theEouse of 2 duct the iAVS is set but'ln

investigctors n:1d Eu&Xl'vlsora !Jivisloil

ara allspd to have bcon treating old cgs assistxicoepplicriminstin~ betnocn nppllcants;that Q be cqm~3rec? t0 SubpdIa XitA3SS0S, 3n and faotual eviCenc0, 00:22!aAd the brinEin& b&ore it of such records of the Cld &a Aszistr\noe

Comisoiim ac it nay &en f&t and properf nnd thati

w.Sd comlCt0?, irt zddltinn to con-

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. ppornble 5. S. Zurohison,pa@ 3

, tasad and appearedbefore the Gomittoe butrofuged to an&r rertaln questionspropounded to hi& The witness after being r;rested

undcr.a oomittzent issuedby the LieutenantGovernor a,ed out a writ of habeas corpuswhioh was @antQd by a mmber cfthe Court of CrIminslAppasls **Gnd** the case **via0** set down for :oarlng. It was conte;:Ued by the Relator that ono branch of tie legislaturehad no cuthoritg~toappoint a oomIttee and au- (:orize, it to.oonduotan InvcetIS.atlon for the purpose of ob- ~~ininS infositaticn

and nakIn(i

rscomendations and that If such ;ovcr existed, it oxisted in the Ls&slature as a whole and would rake the concurrentaotion of both Rouses, tog&ho? Viith the ap- ;roval of the Governor, to give life and validity to an InvestItatinS comittee, In holding that eitherRouse zaay appoint oomfthx%3 to conduct investigations, the Court, through Judge Earper, said:
n* * * Soct~ion

37,.ort. 3,'oP the Constitution provides that 'no bIllsha be consideredun1eSS it has first been referredto a comIttea,* eto. I
Does this mean a comittee appointedbyauthority of both houses? Since the organization of our govarme& each branoh of the Legislaturehas assmed authority to appoint Its om oozmittcee, without the concurring action of the othor branch, and our Supre::.s Court in the case-ofDay Land'& Cattle Coapony, v. State, 68 Tex. 544, 4 S, 3. (373, hol&s, 'The aaav:er of the do-

. fendant ellegsd that the act OS IFebruary 25, 1879, was never legallypassed, In that. the bill~vms not referred to a ootittee of eaoh house before it was acted upon, The anavior

shows that ~thobill vtaa referred to a committee by the Senate,who rcportodupon it favorsbly before the Sonata aotod upon it; but that it won not referred to a cormnittee by the Douse of,Represontc,tives before that body acted upon it, Ths Constitutionprovidas that 'no bill shall be consideredunless it has been first referred to a cozimittee ana reported thereon.' Conat; art. 3, section 7. This-doesnot in terms require a bill to be referred to a committeeby each house before it oan become a levr. The requirensnt is that a bill shall be "referred to a co.znittee and reported thereon'before It shall be considered. This, from the averments of the enswr, was done, and we osn-

.EosoXable J. s. Uurchison, page +%

not, under the wording of the Constitution,say that nore than this was necesssry.'
Y&us It Is seen that, when a bill Is referred to a comittee oreatedby the Ssnr?te alarm, It hm been held a sufficientcozpliencewith section 37 PP article 3, thus rocoypizin~the right of each branoh of the Legislatureto appoint Its own co.mlittees;

and section 11 of~article 3 semifioallg provides that 'each house nay detertine ;
. the rules of ifs em Proceedings,' and if the Sonata in the exercise of its aiscretiondec.3 it esaentisl to aapnirt a comittce to rather informtion and report beoi- reoo.~~~endstIons

In rep*ard

Tao the enactment of lam, wo think it had the povjer and authority. This has been the oonstruotionof our Constitutionby all of our LsgislaturosIn the past, the oonstructionthat the Congress of the United. States has given to the power possessedby eaah branch there- I 4 of, afid

the oonstructionof the poWers of eaoh'branch of the Legislature In aliiost every state'in tho Union, I In the absence of oonstitutional Inhibition;and xe . hold that the Senate had the authorityand pouer to create the aomittee and authorIze,Itto gather Information and m&e reaomendntions on all subjects upon whIoh the Lcflislature would have the right to oneot laws. * * *q: (Underscoring ours} I
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. The facts In Terre11 vs. Bin& 118 ‘hex. 237, 14 S.

'f;* (Zd) 786, show that a tax surveys oomittea w~asoreated by a Joint Resolution by the 40th Legislatureto colleot Information -necessary

to the revision of the tax lous of the State. ' esolution'provided Tha
% t,hat the members of the ComIttee were to e paid Ten ($10.00)Dolltirs per day for aach day they served. ~PPellce,

as a citizen and taxpayer sought to enjoin the C&ptrollerfrora

IssuisCwarrants to the comittec msmbws beoausa, yes he contended, the Comittee was unconstitutional and void. h spsakinf:

of the xi&t of each Rouse to appoint i.nvestiCating fmmittces, t&e court said:

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i ’ 5 Eonorable J. S. Xurchison,page.5 _'

: -n* * * fn declaring, in section11 of article 3, that 'eaoh house may determinethe rules of its own proceodings,rthe Constitution plslnly delegates to each hope the choice cf methods for the nose eavantogeoususe of its fur&ions in the exeroise of the stz~te's'legislative povier,'

which ?.<r.

Cooley defines es 'authorityunder'theConstitutionto make $a~, and to alter and repoal them;' CoolayCs Con- .stitutional

Limitations(8th Ed.) p. 163. Favinp. such ohoico of methods, oaoh house is fully authorized to appoilitmitteas to moire invasticaticns

and conduct 'inouirics

and cethcr infor-zsticn with rcsnoct to the operation of subsis'uin~ ler;-s and the need for their improvezjont,

alterationor repeal. and, 4 Y&eat. 409, 4 L. sd. 579. ~oCX.Cllooh v. Xaryl!!ot only doss the Constitution,in the grant of the rule-makingpov;er, authorize either house to name such commi.ttces as it may deem necessary or proper for purposes oS.investigation and inquiry,when looking; to the disobsrge of any logitlmate function or duty of such house, but the Constitution2668 further andmakes oonsideration by a oommittce a conditionprecedent to tho enaotment of any law. Sebtion 37, article 3.

na * * The authorityof oath houoe'touse. legislativeoo.mmittees of inquiry and investigation is affirmad in c)o'oloyfs Conutitutionsl

Limitation3 (ethXd.) at page 275, where the nutho? says: ; "'6ech ho& must also be ailo:cd to proceed in its oiw way in the collectionof such informetlonas may seem Importantto a proper discharge of its functionsand.whensver tt is deeuea desirable that witnesses shoulcl be examined, the power and authority to do so isvery properly referred to a oozunittee, with any powers short of final legislativeor judioialaction as may seem necessary or oxpodicnt in the partioularcase.'
We * * Our oonclusionthat the Lofisl.ature OX oit!zr house pozs333esauthorityto order co:+

a.

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:,,orable y.‘% t-!urohdson,. page 6

Tho above oited authoritiesclearlyostablieh tho ;o.ior and authorityof the f:cuse of Xoprssentctlvcs to oppolnt ;cz.xfttees

to cocduct ,inveetit;etiosa e.?d 1n;ulrieeinto mtters~ 11th rosgecrt to which 13&3latlon is 002t03pi3toa. ti z?aking Its invaati.;3tion, ocn.Por&nf, to the grovisionaof ,Eouzie $iz>le S~aolatl.on

:Ior 71, such comlttee ~111 be clearlycotins with ‘dce euthorityof Chc State.” The porxr rnatca~~ in the I~OUCO iofBepr~se:~t~tiv~.~ hno, tit

our o~tiion,been lc~itlr~tely oxar- !tired throu,-h

the g,n,diux

of Eouse ::lzl;lo

&xiolution~No.

71P. .%o- :om!ia~ly,,

it i3 our o;iuios?

t!:at the cmzittee so appointed is, llthill t&l MMllil??

Of Seotfon 31, **SWiiitV** Dill **3 ’** **0.~** ,90, 46th legisi:turo, “duly authorizedby the State * * * to aako” an InaDeotlon Ortba rocozdawntionsd in ycur ODInion re~uoat.

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\ The 8bovo coudl.uston :.S not inoOnaiEt8nt or inCOm- ;:tlble with Attorney@aore Opinion Ho. O-2432;: in Opiaion FO. CJ-2432, tbo a_usstioa imd.er 6onaidcr::tlon **ViflS** ri!d!:sr under Aotioa 31 of Se:!ats Bill Xo. 96, 66th :egisl~tu~re, ah explogco Oftta Departmentof i?ubl~!.c ~:~;‘elf~~r&

oow1.d be aozrolledto dia01030 tn court, in 0c,scs J.nvol.vi!:~

Frivatowrtioat my OS the f3ota Jr;& l:~form~~t~i~;i~.td $2 c':tm rcc2?~:5 Or applicants $, or rocj.plantn

of, old.

~ago &%fstanc%r The oDinion is crbsrly l&&ted to c-23

?uestlonpr.x%~tsa there13and **sow** tatpurportj

to BGS:YO~

0 question rs~nrdlsi: tha rl,?kt

of Stste affioo?a

to insyloct

old o$e aaai,stailo6 records :LI

connection rltht!wir officialdutiei.

Yours very truly