Court Opinion

ID: 4144890
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2017-02-18 03:50:34.328749+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:30:51.067066
License: Public Domain

OFFICE   OF   THE   ATTORNEY    GENERAL   OF TEXAS

                       AUSTIN
Hon. 0. J. s. ,Elllng8on,
                        page e.

     State employes to any typa of Oonventlon within
     the State or wlthout the State.*

          "(j) Sxoept a5 otherwlae sprolfioally
     sxmpted, the prWls~on~ cf this Act shall apply
     also to department hoods and nemboro of ~ompia-
     slons."

          There 10 XI0 43XWIiPtiOZI
                                 fXOrrCthe prOVsSsOD8 Of the
rider of mambers of the Texas Mson     Board.

           The rider further      provides:

            "It la hereby   furtherdeclared unlawful ror
     any psroon authorized to uaa a State-ormad              auto-
     mobile In Oonnsation with euly buslnesrc 0r the
     State,    to use euoh autOmobIle In oolineotlon          with
     any otaupnign In which suoh department Ia dlreot-
     ly lntereeted, or In behalf or the oampelgnror
     meleotlon of the head of any departmat,               and/or
     in any other m5nnar, tliae or plaoe than when
     suoh autcmobile la being wed in the interest
     OS and for the purpose         of oarrylng out depart-
     mental State buaIne66. Any person yiolatlng
     thlo Sootion shall upon final 6onrlotlon be cab-
     Jeot to a line     of not    la55  thtul $50.00,    nor
     more than #SOO.OO.        In the event auah      U5Q or
     ~oh automobile is belag zrndo         wlth the kaowledge
     or the head of the departPlent,        having oharge aS
     muh automobile, then suob 68partmeat head shall
     d50 be liable to puxhhmmnt           Ia l iin5 0r n0t
     Inor@ than ~200.00. Any oourt or competent              &lrl*-
     dlation ln the axxmiy Wh8l-O this Law la tlolat-
     ed shall have JurIsdIotIon to try 8uch oau60.*

          In our opinion, theso provfsloas of the fIdoT,
00n5trued togather, rdieot   the logl5latIvs lateknt, not
only that State orrlolals and mr~ployeer shall not reaelve
reiaburmn&ntfaPsuoh    item of traveling expense a8 satis,
lodging, eto., lnourred in trar6llng to a f8onventlon  Of
any kind, wlthla or without the State, but also that 5uOb
State offlola    or State employees 5hsll not be I?snultted
to us5 State-owned automobil    ror the purpoes 0r oonver-
ing thenselvec to such conventlone, thou&b they say WY
Hon.   0.   J.   c.   ELlln.g5on, Pago 6.

other erpenlree lnourred on trip personally. The U84 Of
an autauobilo   purohaaed by the Stats involves en OXpendi-
turo af State funds, In that svorjr u5e of suoh Stato-
omsd eutcdnoblle of nooosalty   ro5ults in a depreolatloo
0r the value of 5uob oar.

           You are, th5rerore. adrleod that the Prison
BMXd  mriy not pennlt lta mwbors or oftlolals of the Prl-
eon to use a State-owned eutomobllo to oonvoy these men
to the Amarfoan Wl6~n Congrssa In New York City, though
thelr oxponooa, aeldo from the uao of tho oar, erq not '
to be pald from any Stoto funde.

                                        Ioura    very   truly

                                   ATTOWBY      CZXSFtAL   OF T!XAS

                                            &f&&&&u
                                   BY
                                                 R. W. Falrohild
                                                         A85i&Wlt
       j(LpPROVEDOCT 6. 1939