(a),which provides that the control,storing,preservationand distributionof the State's storm and flood waters and the waters of its rivers and streams,for irrigation,power and all other useful purposes,are public rights and duties,and which authorizesthe Legislatureto pass such laws as are appropriatethereto. See, also, Article7466, R. C. S. of Texas, 1925.
We find furthersupportfor the above conclusionin Senate Bill 49, Acts RegularSessionof the 46th Legislature,Sec. 4, which makes an appropriationto the particularprojectwhich you proposeto work on, %&I&L~, the Red Bluff Water Power ControlDistrict. Board of Water Engineers,page 3 (O-1392)
It is our furtheropinionthat the businessproposedto be attendedto by your member and assistant"directlyconcernsthe State Board of Water Engineers"becausethe ~business"has to do with exer- cising the authorityand carryingout the duties,imposedupon said body by law. Articles 7472c, 7472d and 7537a,R. C. S. of Texas, 1925; Sec. 4, Senate Bill 49, Acts RegularSession,46th Legislature,supra.
As we construeyour second question,what you irsptto know is whether, If on the presenttrip proposedto be made by your member and assistant,it is necessaryfor them to cross the State line more than once beforereturningto Austin, you will have to obtain the approval of the AttorneyGeneralprior to each particularcrossing,in order to satisfythe statutoryrequirementquotedhereunder.
To answer this question,it is necessaryto construeSection 2 (cl, Expenses",SenateBill 427, Acts of the RegularSession, "Traveling 46th Legislature, which we~quotein part:
"(c) No travelingexpensesshall be incurredby any employee of any of the departments,or other agenciesof theSovernment,out- side of the boundariesof the State of Texas, exceptfor State business directlyconcerninghis own departmentor agencyand no such expenses shall be paid from State appropriationsor out of any local or auxiliary funds by the State Comptrollerto an employeeof any agencyof the Govern- ment, until and unlessa writtenstatement,signedby the AttorneySen- eral, advisingthet the purposeof the proposedtrip, in his opinion,is for said State businesspurposes;which written opinionshell have been filed in advancewith the State Comptroller,and sigued duplicatethereof with the disbursingofficerof such respectiveagency of the Government."
There are severalpossibleinterpretations of the above provi- sion as appliedto your statmentof facts. Did the Legislatureintend that a separateletterof approvalbe obtainedfrom the AttorneyGeneral each time the State line is crossedby a State employeetravelingon State expenses,where, as in your case, in making a survey,.itmay be necessaryto cross back and forth severaltimes;or, did it only intend that such a letterbe obtainedeach time an employeeleft Austin on a trip and that "trip"be construedto mean each round trip journeyfrom Austin;or, did it intendthat one letterfiledwith the State Comp- trollerbe sufficientfor an indefinitenumber of crossings,so long as the purposesof the crossingscome within the purposeof the partiou- lar trip.
In our opinion,the latter interpretation is the proper one. To arrive at the legislature'sintent,as is necessaryin every case of construction, we must look not to the one word "tripw,but to the whole bill. In this instance,we need only look to the portionquoted. Evi- dently,all the'Legisl.ature intendedwas that no trip be made out of the State unless its purposebe determinedin advanceby the ~A&orneyGeneral, Roard of Water Engineers,page 4 (O-1392)
to constitute"Statebusfness". The Legi+atore did not say In so many words that s sepa;ateapprovalshouldbe obtainedfor each individual trip and, In our opinion,to give