Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1945 )

,” -_347
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
GROVER SELLERS
ATTORNEY GENERAL
ibnorablo Ckwrgr H. Sheppard
Comptroller of Publfo Aooountr
Auetin, Terar
Dear Sir:
!
gialaturo cover-
In item of
We are In I request oi resent
date reading aa foil
izod to issue war-
doeaarod nlio, or ior the funeral of
an employee or an oifielrl or the
Le g iela tur
wh oe
1 8not a nlleoteb
member tharati?
ld. Mesrager oi oongratulatlons or oondol-
en008 to meabrrr ai the Legislature
or to Stat0 offioialr?
348
Honorable George 13,Sheppard, pa@ 8
at thr Govenor* roorptlon or at the
C40vernor18 lnaugtwatlont
'f. Ylonr orrorlnga, oo&gratulator~ ma80
.8a6e8,or merra6.8 of oon&oluhor to any
person rho 18 not a mxaber of the ktgl8-
latura or.who 1s a private lnditldual?W
Swtioa S oi Artfolo b ot *ho Torar Conrtitutioa pro-
3des as roUow8;
;;,,.
:.
*Taxer shall bo lerl,h and
oolleoted by
general laws and for pub110 purpose8 ~nly.~
Yeotion 51 of atiole 3 of the Texas Constitution pro-
rides, in part, as iollow8:
*%%o Legf8laturo shall hare ao powe-rto mak8
any grant or authorize the making of any grant of
pub110 money to MJ individual, assoolatloa o? ln-
dltlduala, munlolpal or other oorporatfoar whatso-
over’, l * *w
seotlon 6 of nrtlsle 1.6 of the Texae Constitution pro-
via08 a8 r0iim8t
Ilb ippropriatlon for private or dndlridaal
pu~porer #hall k made. A retWar atatewnt, andor
oath and an aoooant oi the rooolpts aad armdlturer
oi ail pub110 noney ahall be publl8hed annuall~r, In
8uoh mannora8 8hll be prraaribod bt law.*
8. w. (ra).
laturo La
“It 18 MlLifeSt that Oortain Uponditul'oS
mu6t b. mad. by th0 StatS, in the Way Of lS#iSbtiV@
lponoos, or ths grant 0s logl8letlre power 00ula
aeror be lr r e0t~iiy exorol8o4. wo 0~8 would quer-
tion leg.iSlatirO diSbUrSWWIt.8 fol’ oonriortabls am-
srmt#ly halls end committoo room, or for clarka,
statlonriy, eta. Within tb 84~0 ea%rgory of logitii-
nate lxpon8es 0s the Le g isla tur or e0sllthor hous
oomos roimbursoimnt to members for aotual axpmeer
roaumably inoarrod h 0rd.r to ~tfoa’a doti. do-
vo lvlaongdaly lathoziro8 ooaaitteea of the La&-
laturo, or,& llther ~bauu;whon r+eh loadttn
momberm aro oallod to,oth8r points than the oapital,
or whra aallod to the oapital othUwl8o than during
th0 SOSSiOM Of th8 hWi8&bIUhw
In Torrell. Cbmatroller. v. Middleton. 187 S.W. 367,
3713, (writ or error Qenled) the Court ln ooa8trulag the protlslono
or ,,rticle16, Seotfon 8 of'the Conati~ution of tho State Of Texas,
relative to an appropriation for the Govwnor’s Yonslon, la dofin-
lng tho dirroronoo ln appropriating e0noy for pub110 porpoerr and
private ``rp08e8, statmd as fOiiOW8Z
wCon81doring the oiroua8tmors under which the
conrontlon met, tho et118 rou&ht k, bo remedied and
tho ends to bo. eocoapll8hod, es roll as tho porcronnol
of the nu(Pbor8, it oanuotr.aSOMbly be hold that It
ever ontorod the mind of aey e&ember that th& Ooternor,
under the gulae of mi.ntainin& the QOternor*s 8finslon,
rould be rotod grOOOrlo8 to meintein hi8 houaohold,
would be voted food and oero 0s the Covornor~a horeoa,
garolin, end ropelrs for his lutombils would bo toted
Ub08o.a car48 Ma JWintSa intitetiOM (0 hi8 SOOid
tunoti@no, and +$OfS, @oat, rogotablrs, and fruits
for hi8 tabls.
*Oloerly tho ltonu for whloh the oomptrollor
sought aa a08 Ired to 188~ state unrrents, and rr0r
uhlqh lotloa ho was rOStniMd, wore for rlrato end
lndlVld~l QW OSO$, Ma JLOt,iOr th0 pUbi10 good, Uia
the epproprlat1on mado for thut pw~oro by the Iagls-
latw wag dlrootly ln tho taco 0s art1010 16, soa-
tlon 6, of the Coastitutiea, whloh lOmWLdS thet '118
appropriation for privet0 or indltl&ual perp0808 shall
be mad..' The artialos named wore oloarly not for thr
,’
350
Bbnorablo Q8orge ii. ahOQQUd, QagO 4
QorOInor in hi8 offioial OapaOlty, but for hi8 lndlvld-
. . - - - - -0 --- o--o. -0
ual 8atl8faatlon and gratification. No governmental
r-------- govora.mont~
0a.
or OffiClal object would by toodinn
ild bo obtained br feeding MA
and
ShOO14J hi8 hOr8.8, by XSQaiting
- end
--- fWa7hing
- ------ gemllno
,,--.A0
for hi8 automobile, or by fu+~h# grOOOrlO8 or other
laht+e grooOrlo8
1kUlArf.Sfor him to 00n8um.
In our Oplnlon No. O-714, dated May 1, 19259,you were
.‘+dvisod that tho above quoted rovlslons of the Conatltutlon Would
not peralt the QaaptroUor to Pmaim l warrant la payaont 0s Wore1
OXQOnSOS 0s l janitor who we8 on thr ppyroll or the State Sonata
at the tlpU Of hi8 death.
In aon8ldoratloa of Sal& eeonstitutioaal provi8ion8 and
authorities above referred to, it 18 the opinion Of this dOQm-
ment that you aro aot authmlzod to 188ue warrants COVOrlng the
Item8 or sxQonse sot out in detail in your request.
Yours very truly
A``!fE?fGEttERd.,OF TFXM