'OFFICEOFTHE ATI’ORNEY GENERALOFT'EXAS 

AUSTIN 

Honorable W. S. Bussey, Chief 

Mvlaion of WeQhts & Measures 

Department of Agrioulture 

Auatln, Texas 

Dear sir: 

sea td%onveny \ 

Your letter of July 9 

partment on the following 

Assooiatlon.'.. 

"ARTICLE n 

%eot~lon 1. - Ang State or City Impeotor or 

Deputy Inspector of Weights apd Neesures In Texao 

shall be eligible for active membership. 
Honorable W. 9. Bwaey, Page 2 

%eotlon 2. - ,Repidrmen, lt~pe~otm~ 0r wetighina 8nd mearurin~~ devloer. 8nd lndfv%darls hating ~~. 

au-interest in w&ghLng &d meaauriug problems - 

may become ssroolete members. 

“Seotion 3. - Hanuisoturers, jobbers, wholesalers and firms, oomp8nies, oorporetions or 

associations having an Interest In or are ooncerned with weights 8nd measures work, may become associate memberr. 

“Section 4. - Associate members, 88 indivlduals or otherwise, ah811 have a voioe in all 

proceedings, but shall not vote. 

?Seotlon 5. -‘Honorary memberahLp may, .,upon reaommendat~on or,*8 exeoutive bommLttee, 

be .o&fsrred upipon' thori, ;per?~ who' &a% 'pep-,, 

rozmed outrtai+.ng gqrv$oe in behrlf: i3r: th& 

88sooiation. I. ., 

_ 

‘ARTICIR III 

“Seation 1.. - The offioers of this aesoolatlon &hell~be a President,. a Bioe+rer&dent, 

8 Searetwy+%esru.rer;~ and an .Asris$~ant Seu&etarg.. There r&1811 ‘alao, be.~ c ~eOujig?e t$?mmLttee 

or ‘five:..membersi .IM;ae .rZp ‘.of the..Prit~:$&len~,. the 

Vio~++rhldent "or thee a&oUitian;:and three' 

;: :‘. ,~ 

@her- eotlv6 niemberr of ‘the aas,ogl&tlon. Ap1 the ~:’ 

ror&gbing orriO ehall be xl.J.g@d ~23s. e&x+ion .at 

~the. aizwal meeting 0.f: the, @woglr%$g~:h?~~~L ita 

Pcrtive membership. vtp~~i13~ ~EI.. ury.. tsrtde .tiy 

be ..rllled by rppoln%ment~ ,b$ the exi?oi%tive &mmittee ’ 

~for. the unexpired term. 

. . . 

'Seotion.2. - ~he~Qommlsslaner tie AgrLeulture 

and the chier of the Weights and N+wer ahaX& ~~ 

be ex-orrlato memberr~ ‘of the exewitive ao@imLttse. ” T 

-~ 

l seo tlQn 3. - Phe ,aerldent ahev psrlde at ~~, 

811 meetings, ihal& 

c 

e8ewe order, enfewe the 

‘::” 

oonstltution 8nd by- we, oall. apeois1 meetings, 

ohall be ex-offlolo ohalrman of the exeeutfve 

commIttee, and ahall appoint neoeraary 0ommAtteex 

to carry on the work of the 8ssooletlon, ln&xdZng 

a three-member no*atlng colranittee. 
Honoreble W. 8. Buaaey, Page 3 

%ati& 4 . - l?M healdent or SaqrataryWeestir ah833 have povbr to aena flora w&b&tea 

.ti evtit of'aiokneai or death In the hoaaehold of 

e nlember of the easooiation. 

'8eotlon .5,j - Ln the ebaanoe of the prealdent, 

the duties or hii offloe still devolve upon the 

vice-.prealdent., 

USe#jfian 6, 

- Tiie .8tiretby-Treeaurer atill 

keep~.rea?& of all pro&dlnga, shall cd&Teat. 

811 duea, givlng~receipt therefor, and ahali pay 

ell~bllls on fhe approva,l of the Prea~ident. He 

a&ialP~hiake~.e fintmclsl r,eport at. eaoh regulw 
E&+rfjble W. ,8. Bmaey, pa& 4, 

and et,a ptiae deoided~~pon‘by the uaooletion or 

l plaoted ,by the exeoutive aoqilttee in.oaae lie meeting'p&aoe is designated by tbe~eaaooiation. 

RSeotlon 2. - The dates of the annual meeting 

ahall.be deterplined by the executive committee. No 

l uoh meeting shall be Galled within 60 days of a 

regular meeting. 

'Seotion 3. -..Speoisl meetings may be oelled 

by the pF.e,al.dent upon request of the executive 

oommlttee. 

‘A R!l?ICLE VI 

“@eotiog 1. - One-third of the members shall 

oona$l$ute- P quorum. All voting ahall be aontined 

~to.a&~v~.~nmabera. 

,*&&on a. - &ll elect&n of oifio~ra~aha&l 

'bq.$y.hLbti A.ma~.a%?lty of aXi voter oaat’. ihal& 

oowtitute a ohQloe. 

"Seotlon 3. - The term of office shall be one 

~year.or until a successor has been eleoted. 

- 9. ~Adj.ournm&nt. 

"ll$YiTe@ VIII 

"Section 1. - This oonatitution may be, eltered, 

amidid, or added to c&L~ by 8 two-third8 vote of 

the members present et the annual meeting of the 

Association. T.o be considered, any proposed ohaage 

in the oonstitution ahall be submitted in w%?iting 

to the president, a&least 30 days before the date 
Hoiwwble g. S. Buasey, page 5 

c$ t&n ma&t aunual meeting, and oOpiea of aaoh 

~p~iL,rhall be promptly 8uppEled w,tha pzerident tg ellaative~ me&era of the aa~oaietion. The 

propoWi1 ah611 then be eated upon at the next annual 

meeting.” 

It reema that the Comptroller haa refused payment 

expenses of your employees incurred in attending the Annual 

0r 

meeting of thla association on May 7th and &%h, because In his opJ.nion the meeting was a ‘convention,” and the advance approval of 

the Attorney General wee not obtained es required by the ourrent departmental appropriation bill In the followlug term: 

“No moneya appropriatedtiere3.n shall ever be 

apent,$o pay.the traveling expenaea of anystate 

employee to any type,of oonventiqn wi$hin the State 

or wltho~ut,the State’~~ept.llpon.sdvsncs written 

proVal ~of.the ~Attorney Qenerel’aa .be,ing ,for.@e~e~a 

fmeaa.:. :. 

~~I&& this ~prbviaik, trevelh-e%$eneia’ lnc&bd G 

attending + ‘bcon6intlona oqot be paid unless. before they uere 

incurred the written approval of the trip must be aepar+ely epproved; this Department till not undertake to give blankvt authorizationa._ 

tIfe,are ,or the qpJ.nlonthat the mwttng involve~iaon~ 

l t1tute.d t !q6qentlOn* tithjm the aieening.,of the ~&ppr$~‘%ttlon 

bill, Phe deaeription.of then assemblege~of & ‘meeting;. 8 

uoolifer6noe a etc.,’ ia not in@rtant~ its ahs*roter 38.. ~A 

?conventS&!:as .wed in the a$@o~iatian bU% ia a ‘masUng 

or ~~epa,,:.~r’,delegatee. 0r 8 prlvete’6~gan$Eat2on, partr, 

olub, so~~ety,,or .+e like y” Bee our qpl..ni.on~~Ho., O-1731;* : %#ha 

hrpcroterrof i+e b~ganlaeti~h.88 “private* or *orrioiel depadfi, 

not alone upon its purpose, but..slao upon.ita ayuberahip~ :The 

Conatlttition’and By-lewa of the Aaaoolatlon revea,.l that the ‘%asooiirtion la 8 “~pMva,te organisatlon.” ~$Phe ,privete oharwter 

of the organlaetitin is emphaaieed by the.folowing prgviai4$i$ar 

(1) Private indivldtiala, firms a.733 aoqor.stiowmi4~ 

be ‘eaaooiate” members. 

(2) ’ Duea are oolleoted from a%1 members, regular an& 
5 

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^~ 

.., 

Honorable Ii. & ,Bussey, ;Elsge 6 t, 

rmooistei these due8 are not oolXe&hd bg r&herLt 

: 

would be 'H#kd,'%f %hey:Uer-~ puhblio mmie&*), .&i$ : ', 

they~are: eqe&+#j UUheut an,8pprqwl.atlon 

for puipoeies fdr~'whlah, If the46 ~funds vere not tI?e.pmperty: 

of a private orgaailsatlon, they could not be expended, (POT_ 

instance, floral~tributeo ~l.n event of slokuees or death in 

the household of a member of the asrociation.) 

Ye trust that the.foregolng answer@ your ln~ul%i. 

&I the'future, you should request the approval of thla, De- ~. 

psrtment in kdvance of attendanoe~upon the meetings of,tLrir 

organirsation. 

Yours very truly : 

, / 

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