Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1942 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN,
Eonorable Cieo. Y. Sheppard
Comptroller of Fublio Amounts
Austin, Te.xas
marm.Sboppsrli:
t for 6a opinion
lature, sutbor-
antin payment
to a Special Mstrl8t
aoornell prior to the
; for tucuaplo, acfar
, Iares The rwar Distrlet
snee has msde and filed proper
717 passed at the late regular session of
the 48th LegislatuGe, insoPar as pertiaent to your inquiry,
Is as followst
*tMotlon 1. Thst any person holding a State ot
Mstrlot oStioe in the &ate of Texas, whether as a
meruber of the exeout.kTe lef#elatite QC ju&ioial de-
psrtments, when oalled i WO.the sdU* s)BFtiue OS
dther the Btste orlatlonalWvernamts,isheNby
mnorablc Cieo. ii. ,Shepparii - pwe 2
tUlthOX'iS& t0 file tit& the ~OEQtrOller of EQbliO
AOcOunts Of the State, a statement or certirioate
ia writing, to tbe effeot tbat be waives tbe pay-
meat of his salary or pay Or the emolument5 of bf5
said officedurini; the pe~i0d ofbie5dlitary se+
vice ond authmldnk; the paymmt of euab salary,
pay or 5Inoluments of his office to any other per-
son, who, under t&e provi5ioxm oi any law of t.bia
State io ;rppolnted or eltwted to temporlrrily ml1
such oitil offioe dur%ng the abe8noe of euob ~?f$-
oer,euchwaivr or assigmasmt toternrinatelmm-
dlately upon the release or discbarge of 5aid of-
fleea from wch SdliterJ serece.
*see. 2. 8ush waimr or assignmsnt sballbs
suiiiOi6nt authority ror the mmptrollsr or public
AMouat5 of the state of sexa to isuae state w5r-
raata an&to pay susb jsrscm so holding susb off%-
osr'opssitisndlWnghloaImmselnmlliikzy ser-
rioe out OS appropriatl0ns me by the Legislature
ror such office.
'Sec. 3. The filing wlth the Oomptroller o?
RlbLto acoountu of State or *exe8
the of errah
waiver orameignmemtpr0vldedrerin tbiolicf
shall'mmrb~eoastrued~auyuourt 0r a.0
State to be a remtgaatioa fmm hi5 off300 by the
person eaterlag the ntulty 6mece of the state
or Yational l3wsrmnsnts or that his office is ~a-
ant by reason tberbof.
Wee. 4. The Up0rtance of this leglslatioa
and the fact that many 21&e aul Dletriat otiiaars
or the state of Texas are enterhg tbe mllity
semi00 or tme state azul or the united St&se,
whose OW'%oes are tlllsd by sUb8titute5, e~mlss-
ionero and special Judges amI Others, and tbat
apedal appropriation to pay oacb petsons 90 fill-
ing the offices of those in tbe ndlitarj servloe
fe insufficient anri insdeguate and, further, it
is impossible to aceuratel~ detsmlne or antloipate
tbe amunte or 5uc.b apprepriati0n5, creates an eaer-
gamy andan%mperatirepubfio neee5sit~ tbattbs
Constitutional Bule reqmkrlng bills to be read 011
three several days in @+a& Bonse be onopended, and
the said Rule15 hsrew raspended,and tbatth%s
dot take effect from and a?Mr its passage, and at
is so taMBted.*
Obviously, this Act oontemplates tbat the war-
rant to a Special District Judge, whether for salary or
expensea, is to be paid frm the appropriation for Ms-
triot Judges.
Your inquiry is liudted to the matter of war-
rauts in payrzeut 0r sontbly expense accOunt8.
Tbe expenses allowed te a District Judge are pro-
vided for in Article 0820 , of th0 Revisal Civil Statutes,
as follows8
sAl1DistrietJudgee5 5 swbes engaged
in tha disohsrge Of their effkcial duties in
any county of this State otba than the oormty
of their residsnce, shall be allarod their
actual aud noeessary expeuses while actually
engaged in the discharge oS socb tit&es, not
to exoeed @.oo per day for hotel bills, aail
Pot to exoeed 4 a mile rhea traveling w
rallroad aud no I to exoaed 20# a mile wheu
traveling hy private oouveyauoe, in going to
sad returaing Prom tbe plaoe where such duties
are disctlmrg~, traw3ling by the neasest praoti-
cai route. 2uoh 5fflo5rs shall also roaeive
the actual and necessary postage, tolerpaph
arm telephone expenscls incurred by them in tbe
actual disoharge or their duties.*
DOS, uuder tbe provisions of gcotioa 1 of 8. B.
Do. 717, above quoted, tho waiver by the absent Mstrict
Judge, aud therefore the authority to pay the Special Ms-
trict Judge, is limited t.O~.rthopaymnt of his salary or
pay or the esoluuzents of' hio said office. St does not
contemplate expenses whatsoever by the absent District
Judge, Por hoer course till have inourred none.
In our Opinion No. O-454$ addressed to pw, under
date of hpril 20, lW2, no add3ed as iolloast
****. Cc find no law nor prsotslea or
itcu of uppropriation bill providiug rsr pay-
mmt by t&e State of traveling expouses to
IfonoraBle (ieo. Si. Sheppard - page 4
Special Dfstriot Jut&%. In the abaenee of a
law so providing, you are net wfhoEieed to
issue warrants for the payment of traveling ex-
penses of Special D&strict Judgee.n
drticle 6#&21 OP the Revised Civil statutes oavers
the subjed of salaries of apwial judges, but it contains
no provieioa for expenses of any kind.
Itern 14 of the current bienalal appropriation for
the Jidioiary se&ion - Comptroller*s Department -- is as
follomSt
'Spealal Dietriot Judges' salaries and
regular District Judgeat expeusee ohm hold-
ing court out ot their dIntrIot," $VSOO.~
for eimh fisoal yeor.
Thle approprirtien, whatever my be the amming
thereof with rospeet to expezmes, can not aheage the sltua-
tioo, SOr it %s thoroughlysettled that aa appoprlatlen
may not ~oeast.ltutiormlZy rithcl~n~money f'rarn
the treamry
In tho abseuee of a prf?vlously exietiq law wthoridng
tho game. (Coast., Art. III, sets. 44)
Incidentally, we crall yeur attention to the faot
that the oorrespom.Ung approprirtfon ior~the foFthotmdng
bienxdum in Item 6 is preeloelf the same as in the current
appropriation.
Tram what we have s&d it iollora that haLther
k. ii. Bo. VI?, nor any other statute whlah we have been
able to find, authoriz6m the ieouance of a varraut w you
to pp9 expenses of a 8peaial Dfetriot Judge.