Judges: Steve Clark Attorney General
Filed Date: 7/23/1990
Status: Precedential
Modified Date: 7/5/2016
The Honorable Bobby Tullis State Representative Box 277 Mineral Springs, AR 71851
Dear Representative Tullis:
This is in response to your request for an opinion on the following question:
Is it lawful for an incumbent member of the Arkansas General Assembly to become a paid employee of one of the constitutional offices identified in Amendment
56 to the Arkansas Constitution?
Section 1 of Amendment 56, which outlines the composition of the Executive Department, states that it "shall consist of a Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer of State, Auditor of State, Attorney General, and Commissioner of State Lands. . . ." It is my opinion that the mere employment of a member of the General Assembly in one of these offices would not necessarily in itself be unlawful. It should, however, be recognized that "[n]o Senator or Representative shall, during the term for which he shall have been elected, be appointed or elected to any civil office under this State." Ark. Const. Art.
Article
A determination must therefore be made that the employment in question is not, in face, a "civil office". See generally Haynes v. Riales,
`The object of these several provisions is to emphasize the fact that the officers and offices of the state are divided into three great classes, the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. And the further fact that a person cannot at the same time exercise the duties of more than one office in either of these departments, neither can he exercise the duties of an office in one of these departments, and at the same time those of an office in either one of the other two departments. . . .
While a conclusive determination as to a particular position may require consideration of fact questions arising under the foregoing constitutional provisions, it is my opinion that the answer to your question is, generally, "yes".
The foregoing opinion, which I hereby approve, was prepared by Assistant Attorney General Elisabeth A. Walker.