Honorable Robert S. Calvert Opinion NO. c-761 

Comptroller of Public Accounts 

Austin, Texas Re: Payment of registration 

fees on facts su'bmitted 

Dear Mr. Calvert: 

Your request for an opinion on the above subject 

matter requests whether a registration fee appearing on the 

face of a travel expense voucher may be paid, under the following facts outlined in a letter to you, in response to your 

inquiry requesting additional information concerning this item 

of expense. We quote from the letter to you as follows: 

"I attended this meeting at the direction 

of the Board. The Board specifically wanted me 

to go down to this meeting to discuss and be on 

hand to answer questions concerning the recent 

amendment to the Texas Engineering Practice Act. 

While all the members of this Board are members 

of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers, I 

went to this meeting as an official representative 

of this Board and represented the Board at all the 

meetings. The thirteen dollars and fifty cents 

($13.50) registration fee is a fee that was charged 

to all in attendance. In other words, it might be 

considered as an admission fee to the meetings of 

the organization and in our opinion, is justifiable 

as a charge against the Travel Appropriation 

allocated by the Legislature to this Board." 

In Attorney General's Opinion c-671 (1966), it was 

held that appraisers employed by the Veterans' Land Board may 

attend an appraisal school at Texas A&M University and have 

their registration fees paid by the State. In that opinion, 

it was stated Section 18 of Article V of the General Appropriation Act of the 59th Legislature, pertaining to expenditure of money for dues or registration in joining or ,a,ttending 

any type of organization, has no application so long as the 

State employee does not join the organization. Likewise, it 

was held in Attorney General's Opinion c-692 (1966), registration fees necessary to attend courses of instruction deemed 

necessary to the furtherance of governmental duties, imposed 

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Honorable Robert S. Calvert, page 2 (C-761) 

upon a State agency, may be paid by such State agency. It was 

stated in C-692, supra: 

you are advised that the registration 

fees to attend the conference sponsored by the 

Urban Transportation Committee of the Greater 

Chamber of Commerce of Pit&burg, and the registration fee to attend the Uniform Commercial Code 

Institute may be paid." 

In your request for an opinion, you state that the 

purpose of the trip was not questioned, but only the payment 

of the registration fee. Under the facts submitted, the registration fee was charged to all in attendance at the meeting, 

and was not a charge for joining the organization. 

Registration fees necessary to attend the Texas Society 

of Professional Engineers, for the purpose of discussing questions concerning the recent amendment to the Texas Engineering 

Act, constitutes, in our opinion, a necessary expense of the 

member of the Texas State Board of Registration for Professional 

Engineers, who was assigned by the Board to attend such meeting 

in the furtherance of the governmental duties imposed on the 

Board, may be paid. 

You are, therefore, advised that under the facts submitted, the registration fees were necessary to carry out the 

governmental duties and functions of the State agency, and as 

such, may be paid by the State agency. Therefore, it is our 

opinion that the item of expense stated in your request is due 

and payable. 

_---_-- SUMMARY 

Registration fees necessary to attend the Texas 

Society of Professional Engineers, for the purpose 

of discussing questions concerning the recent amendment to the Texas Engineering Practice Act, constitutes a necessary expense of the member of the 

Texas State Board of Registration for Professional 

Engineers, who was assigned by the Board to attend 

such meeting in the furtherance of the governmental 

duties imposed on the Board, may be paid. 

Very truly yours, 

WAGGONER CARR 

Attorney General of Texas 

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Honorable Robert S. Calvert, page 3 (C-761) 

JRmh 

APPROVED: 

OPINION COMMITTEE 

W. V. Geppert, Chaiman 

John Banks 

Wade Anderson 

Roy Johnson 

APPROVED FOR THE ATTORNZY GENERAL 

By; T. B. Wright 

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