Commissioner Jim C. Langdon 

Chairman 

Railroad Commission of Texas 

Austin, Texas 

Opinion No. M-120 

Re: Whether' employees of the 

Texas Railroad Commission 

may have.,their registration 

fee paid.by the State for 

attendance at a transportation conference sponsored 

Dear Mr.. Langdon: by Texas A & M University 

You have re uested our opinion on whether the State can 

legally pay the 8 15.00 registration fee ,for employees of the' 

Transportation Division of the Railroad Cammission that attended 

a transportation conference spOnsored by Texas~ A & M University. 

In your request you stated that the Commission directed that 

certain of its employees attend the 9th Annual Transportation 

Conference sponsored by Texas A it M, and that the employees attending this seminar paid the registration fee and that membership 

In the seminar was bought in the name of the State of Texas. You 

further stated that that seminar could not have been attended by 

the State employees without p.aylng the $15.00 registration fee. 

This office has uniformly held that if the expenses occur as 

a result of training and information that could be used to enable 

the State employee to more efficiently carry out their duties, 

then the State may legally pay such expenses incurred,by the State 

employee. The basic question always to be answered as to what is 

"State business," is whether the training In question bears a reasonable, substantial and direct relationship to such--goaatnrbelih81~:~- 

dutiesand: functions. 

AS clearly stated in Attorney~General's Optinlon No. C-722A 

(1966), the head of the agency concerned is the official who must 

make the determination as to the reasonableness of the manner of 

performing duties assigned, When the agency head has made the 

determination as so certified, the Comptroller is limited solely 

to the ministerial duty of paying a claim that is in proper form. 

The Comptroller does not have the specific duty and authority to 

investigate facts contained in claims for travel expenses, but has 

only the authority to approve such illaim filed in proper form ', 

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Commissioner Jim C. Langdon, page 2 (M-120) 

pursuant to a specific appropriation and issue a warrant for-payment 

of the claim, Attorney General's Opinion No. ~11-1328 (1962), Attorney General's Opinion No. C-477 (1965). 

It is the opinion of this office in keeping with many prior 

opinions that where the training in question bears a reasonable, 

substantial and direct relationship to the duties and functions of 

the employees, and this determination has been made and certified 

by the agency head involved, then it becomes the ministerial duty 

of the State Comptroller to issue a warrant in payment of the claim, 

Therefore, in response to your request, it is the opinion of 

this office that the Comptroller should pay the registration fee 

of the employees of the Transportation Division of the Railroad 

Commission who'- attended the transportation conference sponsored 

by Texas A & M Univeristg at the direction of the Commission. 

SUMMARY 

The Comptroller must pay the registration fee expense 

of State employees who were assigned to attend the tran$- 

portation conference at Texas A & M University since such 

expense was incurred as a result of State business. 

truly yours, 

&27* 

C. MARTIN 

rney General of Texas 

Prepared by Linward Shivers 

Assistant Attorney General 

LS:bp 

APPROVED: 

OPINION COMMITTEE 

A. J. Carubbi, Jr., Chairman 

Staff Legal Assistant 

W. 0. Shultz, Co-chairman 

John Reeves 

Paul Martin 

John Grace 

Ray McGregor 

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