it that construction, under the facts stated by you, would place a burden on the State Comptroller,the AttorneySeneraland the departmentaffected,not contemplatedby the Legislature.
The Legislaturevestedno disaretionin the AttorneyGeneral or the Comptrolleras to how many tripe a departmentcould make, and properlyso. Neither of these two officerswould have authorityto pass on the proprietyor advisabilityof your making a trip so long ss you had the money in your appropriation end the purposeof the trip wss the transactionof State business. Then, once having obtainedthe op- inion of the AttorneySeneralthat the purposeof a proposedtrip was for "Statebusinesspurposes"and filed it with the Comptroller,it would be requiringuseless,repetitiouswork of all dephtimentsconcernedto submit the same identicalquestionwith regard to each Individual crossingmade during the courseof a particulartrip, as the answers would of necessity,be identioalwiththe one alreadyin the Comptroller's files. In other words, It Is the 'purpose'of the proposedtrip which the AttorneySeneralmust approve,and not Its proprietyor advisability, and once the Attorney Generalhas determinedthat said purpose is for "Statebusiness purposes",it is not necessary,.inour opinion,to again seek his opinionapprovingeach crossingof tha State l&Won that trip.
In answer to your secondquestion,It is our opinionthat this letter of approvalIs sufficientauthority for crossing the State line, at State expense,as many firms as the ,study requireson this particular trip, for the purposesherednst-sted, and concerningthe Red Bluff Water Power ControlDistrict.
This opinioncoversonly the questionof the necessityof ob- tainingthe AttorneySeneral'sapprovalof each crossingof the State line made during the courseof the proposed"trip?describedin your letter. We are not passingon the questionof the necessityof obtaining the approvalof the AttorneyGeneralfor subsequent"trips"from Austin, for the same purposeand in connectionwith the same project.
Trustingthat this satisfactorily answersyour inquiry,we are
Yours very truly
ATTORkEYOENERALOF TEXAS
By James Noel /s/ James Roe1 Assistant AETmED SEP 11, 1939
/s/ GeraldC. Mann A!iTORNSY SRRRRALOPTEUS