Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1946 )

: .g~erabl4 6eo. 80 Shepprd - page 8 am umd in the appropriation blllr is a ‘reetlng of sabers or delegatam at a prlrate organlration, party, olub, sooaietj,or the like.' See our Opinion Ilb.O- 1737. The oharaotsr ot the organiaatlon a4 'prltate' or 'orflalal' dspmda, not alane upon ltm purpo44, but alma upon Its umnbermblp. The Constitution and Bplaws ot the Amaoclaflon rev481 that the amsoola- tion 1~ 8. 'private organldatlon~'a In Opinion No. O-17S7, addramssd to State bqmrtmamt 4i BduOatlon, we ditt4rentlatsd as tollorrrr *Obviously It oould not hare boon Intended by the t4glaIatw4 that the re4trlotiou again& pamg trarellng axpenres to oonrmtlons should apply to lutborisod mebfinga eallod by agesselseot gorem- ment tor tho pur.poSeof aaaampliahln~ tho funotiona at gotommmt imposwl upon thmm. To apply suoh a oonatruotion roold bo to impute to tha I~e~slaturo the latent to paralflo bj lndlreotlon the ldninla- tratian ot ths very 8tSalrs ot gorornmmt tar whioh a propriatlms 44re aado at 14agth in S~tato Bill 4g7 ot tho 46th ~oglalaturo. We are lmp%lled, therefore, to tbo caaolud4n that the Legimlaturo used the word ooonraation' %n ita eqteolal or popu- lar, rather than its broad, llgni?ioan4e, oonv4jlng the idea, generally, ot a wetlng ot mombora or dolt gatea ot a private organiiatlanr party, club, sesietj, or the like, tar the loeampliaboent at some oommon object.' Texas $atety A4a44latlon, Ina., is a prirak lnoorpora- tltm ormnia4d an``malnta~n4d by persons Intorested in the &anor- al subjeot ot sat&y through regulatlonr sad la in notice a State *getrayor lnstmmamtalltp , al thou& Ita lotlritloo as a prl*ate organiaatlon i.m In the general interest 0t the pub116 reltaro. In Opinion lo. O-8467 wo cbrleod you, am Gomptroltor ot Fubllo AOoOtmta, with respoot to the 4p4OiilO aonstruation ot the lanpra~e, “which written Opinion (of the Attoner Osn4ral) shall hare been filed In ldranoe 41th tho State Cmptrollsr', aa fol- lowar 'In r44p44t to tho question submitted, the abar lang``agequoted Worn s* B. 487 IS plain and unambigu- o&as* Va note your statement that tbe argument is u&e to you that the word 'adran44'P as ured In the rldor, ~oaorable Geo. 8. Sheppard - page 4 means In advance at payment and not in adrance ot mak- lne the trip. Bowever, the language ot the Aat Is too al early otherwise. It slmpl~ admits of no other aonstruetlon than that out ot State expenses must not be j.nourreduntil the written statement of the Attorn- a, General has been obtained and tiled with the Camp- troller ad.vlsln~that the purpose ot the provosed trip Is tor State business purp~aes-~ We reattlrm that holding. We trust that what we hare said satlstactorlly ane~ers iour lnqulry~ Very tNly pours ATTORNEY GENERAI.OF TEXAfi BY Oale &ear) Assistant