# h :i

**‘ OFFICE**  **Oi= THE**  **A~T~IWJEY GENEIWL**  **0F TEXAS** 

Gear Sir: Opinion No. 0-2GO3-A

~~ Re: :zhcthorState &~~&rahtlse supplies fromNm Zwzmnfela~ Texti.la.~Eilla,

(1vioe-prasldent of that aonaern being a member of,'the.?e%as

Prison Eoard.

In your letter.'of +Iugu& 15, 1940, YOU advise that xaltsr Dillord,.a member.c$the Texas Prison Eoard, is also vice-president of theNew Brauntels Textile Xills, and in view of such faotrequest our opinion QS towhether the State my purchase cer$dn supplies for theuse of the Prison System fron slid I\'e;q

BrhunfetsTextile Xills,~nhich we assme is a aorporation. ,. ~I' ,. .,,,,

.._ T&co~rts alr?ost"unanimusly hofd void t!lose contracts bet.tieen puhUc boards 3s one party rnc?a filembber of that boerd'iu his pri.voteccrpncityes the other party, without in,quirin(:

lnto th&..fr:irnes,s of the trcne.act?on. Our opinions Numbers q-l.014

and 04378,~~and authorities therein cited. This 6,etitti'ne

se.me Cenerallp to have been applied~in the undoing c@ cQntracts betweenmunicipalities hnB firms or corporations *t:hich an officer or employee of the nunicipzllty wcs a me-her; stockholdtir or employee, ahether such ofiicer or em"%t ,, ployee perticipatcd in makin& the contrcct in bc>mlS of the ciUd0ipality or not. 44 C. J. 93; Dillon o?, Xunicip~l Corporations, 5th Ed., Vol. 2, pp. 1146-ll.47. See also, City of Eainburgh v. Ellis, 59 S. :I.(2d) 99. tTowever, we are convinced that suchholdingswill not be appliedun:ualifiealy to contracts m&e by the State, considering the ltlrge nwn.Qerof State officers and enployees, theirwisely ticctt~;red rer;ifiencc-L:

im5 consquently reduze& liXcllhood of co.~lusio~ end double deeling.3on. Geo. H. Sheppard, PnGe 2

In this cuse, the Texas Prison Doard does not mke

. the contract of purchase. such purch!ases As stated in our OpinionKo. 0-2&OS,!/

os t!ieone now involved are made by the Doara of Control, of l:zhich Mr. Dillord is not a member. i

t’ fe hive winy penal statute3 bearMS on soncr?hat sinilm +ostious, but nose directly coverinK the instont one. Art. XI), C. C., provider, that '1P*yofficer of this State v;ho shall trade for, buy, or be in anyvinyconccrnod in the purchase of any claim or demand against the State, shall be fined one thousmd dollars.q* By Art. 371, P. C., county and city officers
are prohibited from txadiug in claim cCainst such counties and cities. ,2nd,Art. 373, I?.C., provides a fine for city offioerwho should becon;einterested in any 1a county or c htract with such county or city. Other related stututes are found in Ch. 6, of the Penal Code, but In our opinion none nppljrto this case.

There WCS a statute,Art. 6171, Civil Statutes,vthich prohibited members of the Board of Prison Cognisoioners fron beinS directly or indirectly con.necteC withor interested in any contract, sale or purchase of any property or thing whatsoever which may be mde during his ters.of oiiice, and inwhich the Stute LX the prison system i::interastefi," md mking the violation thereof a Ground for rcrlovul. Eut, that statute '$us repealed by the act shioh abolished the DoorC of Prison Comxiasiomss ac(icreate6 the Texas Prison Poord. Act: 1927, 40th LeC.,.p. 29S, ch. 2113.

T!?ercpc:al

of the old izticle‘GlP1,Civil Statutes, .;ihioh :,rYbrencuczted prior to the crootion Ci tbo Eoard of Control, r:nd

the failure to cnan,t a similnr 15~;

applicable to the Prison E03ra, to 3 cctrttiu mtcnt indicater: t.bclfqislative thou[;htas :c ?:hattho public policy 3houU be. ‘.it;ti the authority to m'ce ::uch

contracts 1ocCed in tho Marc! oi Control f,!lcLesislature ev:.d:

ztly felt that tha problt:iticn r;&nst the Prison Bomxl ';jas no locC.cr

necessary or desirable.

In O'ir oj:inicr.

3 contrsct zCr by th? Fo?rd of Control for the ~~~rchoneof supplies fro= o-corporation, one of the officers of r:hlch!o .z a?ez.ber.of

the Tcxnc Pri.%~?Doard is not ?~lrse void 3s r:mttnr oi‘13~1. On that basis 7:s:~ m%::er your 2uoytion iflthe ai:irmtive. Cur opinion rr.iClit b:different if it shouldbe n::deto opprar that the Prison L!o?.rd zember his taken so~ie

advantage 0;'

hi3 position to induce t!lopiirchase fron the:concern inwhich he is intcrerted.