### EAATTQRNEY 

### GENERAL

PRICE, DANIEL 

## Aun-xmu 11. TExas
ATTO.RNEY

GENERAL February 1, 1947
Eonarable @aergo H. Sheppard camptrol1.r st ?ublio Aoeouats Austin, Texas Opinion No. V-07 Be:

Doar Mr. Sheppard:
w,hloh we Parchase ef airplanes by Board 

### 0r ReSenta 

## or the University of Texas for we in omtmes of irstruation In ArreneuticaI Emgheeriq.

He hav.0received yokii letter of January 31, 1947, qaete 

### inparta8 rdi0wr:

‘1 amatt&ching hereto rouaher olaia in rarer af &ile Fljin~ Senioe ror $8,9l+.CQ rer rour~airpiano* p.pwka~ea by TheBnireraity 

### 0rTax88

### rer use'l~'ootarree of IMtruatleI h Aermeutloel tagindeiing
. wI shall thank you to examine this claim in conneotiem with JMT spiai~n 0-401~. 

## anaOp00iri0Oily to that paragraph whioh reads aa follows:

“and advise this department whether or not we 1 ‘This past ses8lon 

## 6rthe Le&rlature passed Salute 13111147which authorizes the Board of Direotors Or the ApioUltUral andYeohaniaal College to acquire an airport and equipment therefor. (Acts 1941, 47th Leg., B. S., Ch. 81, S.B.147, p. 1QQ; Artitrle 2615c, Vernonls Annotated Ciril Statutes). This act is certainly indicative that specific legislative authority is required. The emergency clause of the act reads in part as follows:’ I

, would be authorized to issue warrant in payment of such claim.”

, Opinion NumberO-4681, dated July 3, 1942, an-3



# : .,, BHonorable George H; Sheppard, Page 2

addressed to the SamHouston State Teactheml College, passed upon the qusstion as to whether thet collogb in& the authorit tly 

## its to borrow meaey fer-the parpehe or W6permCirf1

## Pilet Training program and purehaimg planer to be used in training the boys taking this course.7 It was held 

### Inthe opinion as follows:

*In the ilrst pS.seo, there Is 110rtatrztcry authority far the oolle(e 

### itrolrk m&&lain. such a prec;mm, In Seatiom 3 or Artiale 264T it is said: ‘Said board shall not olvlnue any depsrtment of lnstruotion prori&ed **by** liw, visa ne department shall be sstabllehsd for tba aupp0Ft o ’rwhloh prevision has not been madeby

‘the LegialatuN,* Pmrislon has not been mado by tha Leglslaturo 

### ror thispregram. **It** follens that. the oellege maynot purehno r&rplanes (I

7 

# Su8h il ituatloa~‘doea not exist with respeot to ~~ the Wniversity 

## Ormxat3+Wntier ArMale 25&5, Rovirrcl Clr11 Statute& the Board -or Regents ,ai the University of Texas has the broad power’to *regulate the course er instruction and prescribe, by and with the ‘advice of the preressers, the books and authorities used in the seven1 departments, and to qonier suoh degrees and to grant suoh diplomns as are: usually oenrerred and granted by universities aW The limitation impwad en the pewor rid authorfty of the Board of Regents of the State Teaohers College by Artiole 2647 dper,~ not apply to the Board or Regents of the UniversJlty of Teas; conversely the lat-’ ter-mentioned b,oard has wide latitude and broad direr+ tlonnrr powers with respsot to the oourse of instruatiea,

Seteral fears ago the Board of Rsgents in the l rereiso of its dlsoretion dotemined that 8,need orirtl d for a oourse fn a,eronautf;oal engineering, and under its poeer “to remlate the course of instruation” and *to oonier suoh degrees and,tom &rant suah diplomas 8s are usually aonferred~ and granted by unirersitfes,Wthis &ours6 was,addad to the ourrfcula+ Then rise in the impo ’rtance of aviation an,dallied iields in ~reoent years and:the need 

## 0ra course in aeronaatioal 

### l ryineori~ng in a rirst-class university lro~obrious. There **ara:bo no**  ‘doubt that;.the Board of Regents *d the povnr and authority to add ,thPs course. ~Moreover, the Legislat.uro has eloarly reoo&zed. this power dnd authority of the Board or BeRents, for it has prorided runde therefer, (See Aat8 1945, 49th Leg,, Ch. 399,). Ch. 377 and Aats 1943, 48th Lq.,

In Opinion C-4681, mentioned above, we qaotadHonorable George H. Sheppard, Page 3

the following exoerpt from the mse of Fort Worth Cavalry Club vQSheppard, 125 Texas 339, 83 S.W., (2d)tXO:

“All publia offioes and orfiaers are creatures of law e The powers and duties of public orricera are defined and limited by law. Bybeing defined and limited by law, we meanthe aot of a public officer must be expressly authorized by law, or implied therefrom. 22 R.C.I.,p.555, B 114 o..” If the Board oi Regents have the power to pro- .vlde for the teaahing of aeronautical engineering in the University of Texas, then it follows that authority exists to makethat ,power efi’eotire. The Board of Regents has detennlned th4t the oourse of instruction could ,be improved by the use of the airplanes mentioned in your letter. The Board has the authority to make suoh determination;, and it appears to us to be most reasonable. It
‘is, therafore, evident thmt it is our opinion that the Board of Regents has the authority to pumhase subject planes If funds are available therefor.
Bo. You are concerned with that portion of Gpin~on O-4681 which reads as follows:

“This past session or the Legislature passed Senate Bill 147which authorizes the Board of Directors of the Agricultural andMechanical College to acquire en airport and equipment theref ’or, (dots 1941,47th Leg. R.S,, Ch. 81, S-B. 147, p. 100; Article 2615c, Vernon’s Annotated Civil Statutes) D This act is certainly fndioative that speoirlc legislative authbrity la required, The emergency clause of the ,act ~,~, reads~in psrt as follows: *Sec. 3, The feot that said institution In ‘
~’ in urgent need of the authority to acquire and operate an airport in oonneation with ooursea nowbeing taught and those contem-
“‘: ‘plated, and to permit its more erreotive *cooperation in the Wationml Defense Program, creates an emergency,
. ** (Emphsais supplied)

.” The quoted matter can clearly be distinguished from the situation under consideration. In the first plaoe Senate Bill 147 (Article 2615c, Vernon’s Annotated Civil Statutes) granted the authority to aoquire en air art rather than ei lanes,

7f-s-lm It is our opinion that ‘t e s a ute F-b’ wma enabte the authority to aoquire an airport would exist without question. Article 2608 provides thstHonorable George.H, Sheppard, Page 4

the “leading objeot of the College 8bmll be, without excladim other scientifio and olassitpl studies, and fnoludi&g rilitrry tactfos, tb te80h meh branekes of leerstiy aa are related 

## tol gTioultur* ~36 the meakaibd rtim.~ Althe h tlm 

### ,Bmrdor 

### DiShet#m M the A@i~ultuhl l ti Meohanml doll~ge of Terrti is &+en wise dfre~iWe~ Y powers w~th.ret Peot 2613, Seeti@I 6 to the OouPIn ei study (See 

### AGiolb

, still the authority 

### toaaquira, wee-h pree 

## rrpndsttBt,f.thyefor4, smate ,111 1

i# * 

### Arti;lh.8~, whicrk~auWeti.eea th.‘Beard’of Be*

.. gaata to rem&r*9 tie aem0 

### et iuatxmotieat ua8 l hotu by tiie Legislatare fl 1613, a tfme wlU#r?iatier and merolaaut1Qaa ePgiPee~l IWU~~P ~ruimwsal: 7 **wbm in**  thdx **iaifue3,~ New** awe-



## ..engldmsring 

## fieldsd 8 OM or t;hpr meat akpo*at 

## 0rtbkb TM Legfalatare drelr 

## r0r065w that the imparaitfoa of restrictisne aad lfritstiem on the onwu tQ be ~tmgkt at a uniremity would, in etfeot, rtrlU%:* eduwtie3*1 sdvaremnt - that ii a uaivemfty 

## is to a6atfWe 

## tobraainrtitrrtionsr the rirst clam, ,it inuatbe able to keep abreast of the tire8 by the en3mrgsaqat efiatgr6es 

## taagktanathe addition 

## 0r’llir tlelde ofstudy0 *

In anmwerto fmar quertfel, pertgre advised tket it is the oenaf4srad rapiafon of this department tlmt the Board of Regents is authorized te purohase a$rplanes for me in ootire~ Of inntmotf@n @fiend in Asroaautloal Bagineering, ff +nds a” available ior that purpose.

The Beard of Regents of the Ukfvenfty ei Texa8 18 authorieed.to pumhme afrplerms for use ia OO~AFSWo? irrstrua~+oq-ef;eredi? A~~ruutfee*f ~neeri&g, if **funds**

AFE’IWVBB pPtl,1947 ATTOllWf% m **OF**TEAS

EU: ATTORNEY

GENERAL B. L++. fy.+..L George W. Spa

Assistant GWS~jrb ~.

Approved Opinion Committee- ByF-D, ,Chalmn