Honorable Glenn E. Garrett Opinion No. M-1653 

Executive Director 

Good Neighbor Commission Re: Use of private airplane 

Sam Houston State Office Bldg. by members of the Good 

BOX 12007 Neighbor Commission on 

Austin, Texas 78711 official business outside 

of the State of Texas and 

Dear Hon. Garrett: reimbursement therefor. 

In your letter of recent date, you have requested 

our opinion concerning the question of whether members of 

the Good Neighbor Commission, on official business outside 

of the State of Texas, may be reimbursed for use of their 

private airplane while on such travel. 

It is our opinion that Article V, Sec. 12a. of the 

current Appropriation Act, Senate Bill No. 11, Regular Session, 

as amended by Senate Bill No. 7, first call session, 62nd 

Legislature, 1971, does not allow this reimbursement. 

In Attorney General's Opinion M-1006 (1971) we concluded that members of the Legislature, when traveling on 

official business outside of the State, were allowed this 

reimbursement when traveling on official business in accordance with the exceptions listed in Sec. 15 of the current 

Appropriation Act. In Attorney General's Opinion M-1020 (1971) 

we held that individuals included within the exception provided 

in Sec. 15 were entitled to their actual cost of commercial 

transportation including air transportation. We do not find 

any provision for use or reimbursement for private airplane 

travel outside the State by members of your agency. The authority for in-state use of private airplanes by members of the Good 

Neighbor Commission is allowed by the third paragraph of Sec. 12a. 

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L. . 

Hon. Glenn E. Garrett, page 2, (M-1053) 

Article V of the Act which reads as follows: 

"The rate of reimbursement to executive 

heads and key officials including members of 

the Legislature for travel in their personally 

owned airplanes within the boundaries of.the 

State of Texas and between points of necessary 

official business shall be sixteen cents (16) 

per highway mile. The rate of reimbursement 

for other state employees for travel in their 

personally owned airplanes within the boundaries of the State of Texas and between points 

of necessary official business shall be ten 

cents .(lO) per highway mile." 

This cannot be extended to out-of-state travel, 

except as to members of the Legislature who qualify under 

Section 15c of Article V of the current Appropriation Act. 

---e--e SUMMARY 

Neither Article V, Sec. 12a, nor Sec. 15, Senate 

Bill No. 11, Regular Session, as amended by Senate Bill No. 

7,~ first call session, 62nd Legislature, 1971, the current 

Appropriation Act, authorize the reimbursement to members 

of the Good Neighbor Commission for use of their private 

airplane on official business outside the State of Texas. 

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Yours very truly, 

A2 

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Attorney General of Texas 

Prepared by Melvin E. Corley 

Assistant Attorney General 

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. . 

Hon. Glenn E. Garrett, page 3, (M-1053) 

APPROVED: 

OPINION COMMITTEE 

Kerns Taylor, Chairman 

w. E. Allen, Co-Chairman 

Jim Swearingen 

Roland Allen 

James Quick 

Sally Phillips 

SAM MCDANIEL 

Staff Legal Assistant 

ALFRED WALKER 

Executive Assistant 

NOLA WHITE 

First Assistant 

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