Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1953 )

April 22, 1953
Bon. Robert s . Calvert Opinion IW. S-32
Comptroller of Public Accounts
Capitol station Rer Applicability of the
Austin, Texas -noa-communistoath
required by H.B. 21,
53x4 Legi+?Ja~e, to
services by doctors,
1avyers, e~agineers,
architects, skilled
services, labor,
statutory vitness
fees in criminal
cases, payment of ex-
pert vltnesses, pay-
ment for assistance
in lav enforcement,
coo~rative projects
administered by other
agencies, constitu-
tional salaries of
State Officers and
per diem of members
Dear Sir: of the Legislature.
We have your request for an opinion on the ap-
plicability of the follovlng provision of Bouse Bill Hum-
her 21, Acts of the 53rd Legislature, 1953:
"plofunds of the State of Texas shall
be paid to any person as salary or as other
compenaatlon for personal services unless
and until such person has filed vith the
payroll clerk, or other person by vhom such
salary or coxpensatioE Is certified for pay-
ment, an oath or afflmation'stating: . . ."
You asked specifically:
"1. professional ,services,such was
doctors, lavyers, engineers, architects,
etc.?
I.
Hon. Robert S. Calvert, page 2 (S-32)
"2. Skilled services to build, to
repair, or to service contracts which are
for labor only?
"3. Statutory servfce8, witness fees
in criminal cases, expert vitnesses, pay-
ment of services for law enforcement, under-
covers-work,etc.?
"4. Cooperative projects; varrants
drawn to reimburse Federal and State agen-
ties, or Its subdivisions or compact com-
mlssions for salaries or personal services?
"5. Constitution of sal,ariessuch as
executive officers of the State government
and per diem from members of the State Legis-
lature?R
The oath required by H. B. 21 Is In part as
follows:
"1. That the affiant is not, and has
never been, a member of the,_CommunistParty.
. . ; and
"2. That the afflant is not, and dur-
ing the preceding five year period, has not
been, a membee of any organization, assocla-
tion, movement, group or combination which
the Attorney General of the United States,
acting pursuant to Executive Order No. 9835,
March 21, 1947, 12 Federal Register 1935,
has designated as totalitarian, fascist,
communist or subversive, . . . and
"3. That the affiant is not, and, dur-
ing the preceding five year period, has not
been, a member of any 'Communist Political
Organixation' or 'Communist Front Organlxa-
tion' registered under the Federal Internal
Securlt Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C.A., sec. 781,
etseq..3 ...n
In answer to your first and second questions,
it is our opinion that the above provisions do apply
to salary and compensation paid to doctors, lawyers, en-
gineers and arhhitects, and to skilled craftsmen and
laborers, If their services are rendered in the capacity
Hon. Robert S. Calvert, page 3 (S-32)
of employees; and zot as fndependent-cuntraators.
, There Is no exclusfve rule~,by,vhlch lnde-
pendent contractors and employees~may be dlfferentl-
ated. Qenerallg; .hoveveer;the relations are ~dls-
tinguiahe&by-the qxtent'of.'thecontrol which the .
+st~lossr~ex.ercises``over
the,emolosee in the manner
in-vhich he performs his vork.- C&uth v. Valley
Ready-nix Concrete Co., 221 i3.W.a 564 (Tex. Civ.
App. 1949, error ref.r
"An independent contractor is any
person vho, in the pursuit of an lnde-
pendent business, undertakes to do a
specific piece of vork for other persons,
using his own mfans and methods, without
submittlna himself to their control In
respect to all Its details." Shannon v.
Western Indemnity, 257 S.W. 522,324 (Comm.
App. 1924).
But each case mnst be based on its ovn facts.
In ansver to your third question, It is our
opinion that the above provlslon~ do not apply to
statutory witness fees in crlmainalcases, nor to com-
pensation paid by the State to expert vitnesses since
these fees are clearly not for personal services, but
are to reimburse the vltnesses for their expenses.
It IS our opinion that the above provisions
do apply to payment for special and undercover services
in lav enforcement If the services are performed in the
capacity of an employee.
Your fourth question 1s too broad and general
to be answered specifically. However, we vi11 be glad
to ansver opinion requests based on any Individual agency
or fact situation.
In ansver to your fifth question, it is our
opinion that the above provisions do not apply to con-
stitutionally fixed salarles of State Officers, nor to
the constitutionally fixed per diem of members of the
State Legislature, since such constitutional provisions
are self executing and exclusive.
We are In no vay passing upon the constitutlon-
ality of the above Act.
-. ..
Hon. Robert S. Calvert, page 4 (S-32)
Then "nOn-B@T?erd3W" oath,required
b,yH.B; 21, Acts,of,the 53ra L+gislature,
1953, appliesto State ,funds paid for
services by~doctors; lawyers, engineers,
architects, skilledzcraftsmen and laborers,
and for.speclal and undercover Service0 in
law enforcement; if such~servlces are ren-
dered ia the capacity of an employee and
not asan lndependent~contrsctor.
The 'non-subversive" oath doe6 not
apply to statutory vitaes8 fees In crlm-
lnal cases, nor to compensation paid by
the State to expert witnesse~s,uor to the
constitutionally fixed salaries of State
Officers, nor the constitutionally fixed
pxr3Wxro``~St* Mgtslators.
Yours very truly,
JOHN BEN SREPPERD
APPROVBD: Attorney General