Han/R. E. Beasley 

County Auditor 

Collin County 

McKinney, Texas 

Dear Sirt 

Re: Can Collin County legally 

pay her proportionate share of 

expenses incurred by the County 

Judges Association in sending 

out questionnaires for candidates 

for the legislature to ascertain 

their attitude on the bond assumption bill? And related questions. 

Your recent request for an opinion of this Department on the quest ions as are herein stated has been received. 

Opinion No. C-2475 

We quote your questions as follows: 

“1 0 Can Collin County legally pay the expenses of the County Judge for attending the 

meetings of the County Judges Associations? 

“2 . Can Collin County legally pay her proportionate share of expenses incurred by the 

County Judges Association in sending out questionnaires for candidates for the legislature to 

ascertain their attitude on the bond assumption 

bill? 

“3* (a) Can Collin County legally pay the 

travelllng expenses of county commissioners for 

trips to Austin on official business7 (b) For 

the purpose of lobbying?lt 

We quote from Texas Jurisprudence, Vol. 11, pages 

563-4-5 as follows: 

“Counties, being component parts of the 

State, have no powers or duties except those 

which are clearly set forth and defined in the 

Constitution end statutes. The statutes have 

clearly defined the powers, prescribed the duties, and imposed the liabilities of the commissioners’ courts, the medium through which the 

different counties act, and from these statutes 

must ceme all the authority vested in the counties . O . Commissioners’ courts are courts of 
Hon. R. E. BeasQy,, page 2 (o-2475) 

limited jurisdiction in that their authority 

extends only,to matters pertaining to the 

general welfare of their respective counties 

and that their powers are'only those expressly 

or impliedly conferred upon them by law that 

is, by the Constitution and statutes of'this 

State." 

This department has repeatedly held that in the 

absence of a valid statute, the commissioners 1 court has no 

authority to allow any sums of money to its members for expenses. 

In our opinion No. O-810, it was held that there 

is no statutory authority authorizing the commissioners' 

court to pay the expenses of district and county attorneys, 

sheriffs, judges, 

collector, 

and county commissioners, tax assessor and 

to their respective officer's conventions. Therefore, your first question is respectfully answered in the 

negative. 

Your second question is also answered in the negative because the commissioners' court has no legal authority 

to pay expenses incurred by the county judges association in 

sending out questionnaires for candidates for the legislature 

to ascertain their attitude on the bond assumption bill. 

It was held in our opinion No. o-1926 that the members of the commissioners' court of Limestone County were not 

entitled to expense money for trips out of the county on official business of the county. 

In our opinion No. O-2117, it was held that the members of the commissioners' court of Brewster County were not 

entitled to the expenses incurred by them in attending a meeting before the State Highway Commission with reference to the 

designation and letting of contracts on State Highway No. 3 

U.S. No. 90. We are encloslng copies of the above mentione d 

opinions for your convenience. 

In view of the foregoing your third question is also 

answered in the negative. 

Trusting that the foregoing fully answers your inquiry, we are 

AW: ew 

Encls. 

APPROVED JUN 29, 1940 

/s/ Gerald C. Mann 

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

Yours very truly, 

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

By /s/ Ardell Williams 

Ardell Williams, Assistant 

APPROVED OPINION COMMITTEE 

By BWB, Chairman