OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable C. 8. Cevnese
State Auditor
Atutfn, Tsxat
Dear Sirr Oplnlon Bo. o-4
tutioh with
inion at to
vhether the proVislorm of tit xv 0r OUT
iitate Con.8titutton apply ate boardt, tom-
mirrlone end suthoritl amurance Cm-
rmi88lOMr8* Rallro or publi0 wol-
fare, Lover Colora Parks Board and
San Jacinto Xemori
of our state Conetitu-
1 br kept by the
tmei&+, and by all
to lMt1tuti0n8, Ol
a in aatlon re~elved and dir-
d all of raid offloe~r or managere,
upon any rubjeet relating to the dutfee, condl-
tiOli, ltiUl&~~lWlt,aad UQ.W.We8 Of thtir rO8peIJtiVO
OffiOO8 and lrutitutloM, vhioh
inrozmat1on shall
be reqrrtred by the Oovernor under oath, and the
Oooernor may also inepeot the- book8, 8ccount8,
vouchere end public fundet and any offl~tr or
lionorablr C. it. C8Vlie8S, mm 2
8anager vho, at any time,&11 wilfull~ BWU a
faire report or give faire Infor8atIon, rhall be
guilty of perjury, and ao adjudged, and punished
leoordingly, and removed from office."
Tha owe of state t. Cl8uwn, 148 P. 28, 32, 85 Yaah.
260, he16 that the State El&Way Department, the fiaherie8
Departmat and the 3tate F8lr, of the State of W~rhlngton,
vere lpublIa in8tItutlonr' under a UarhUgtOn refs?endu8 rta-
tute. Ye quote from the cOuPt'8 Opinion In 8aid e88e:
'It follow that th8 hi&may department,
the Shhbries departmutt, and the rtate fair
We 8publlo inwtitutionr~ of the rtate.
weunderrtand the Attorney General'8 argu-
ment to be that an exirting pub110 lzwtltution
I8 8ome8etlrltr OS the rt8te vhlmh ha8 taken
fOI'8urb 18 lodged in building8 Oc hSCturt8.
Thm vordm 'public ln8tltutlon8~ om be given no
ruoh rwtrlcted meaning. A pub110 Iastltution
18 ~mq orgaalred lotIrltJ areatrd or ertabllrhed
br lav or pobllo luthoHtr. Corporatlom me
held to be publie or 011tiau ln8tItutloM.
ToledoBdkr.Bond 3:
v. Hoc- Vtilley&.
"!fhevord *iartitution' 18 defined in Web-
8tOP'8 lrelv
Iateraatload DlctioMry 88)
"'Anythlq forwng a oharaoterl8tlc and
perri8tent fe8tura in 800lal or national life
Or habitr.’ 'X8tabllrhed or orgmnlsed moelet
or OorporatioM~ an e8tablirhrsnt, erpeeia~y
QIJ4
OfP Ub liO
Oh 8M OtOP
OF OM lffaoting 8 OOIB-
mlnlty.
‘What the rod “Inatltution " both ln legal
and oolleeuial we, ld8it8 of *ppileatlon to par-
810&l taingr, CXMllOtbe UW8tiOMd. be Of it8
m8aning8, ar.d8iIned In Ueb#ter*r Unabridged Dio-
tlonary, 18 a nl8tabli8hMnte er p ec laOS ll?
a
p u b lic ar00tug
o h a r a eter , a c o 8muq .And
one 05 the meaning8 of ‘ertablirhment, a8 dsifs-
ed by the raw authority, tr, 'the place In vhlah
Honorable C. 8. C(LVM88, me 3
OM 18 PiWiMOnt~ fiX0.d iOr reSidtUU33 Or bumi-
nesrj re8Idenoe vlth grounds, furniture, equip-
age, etc., vith Vhioh one 18 fitted OUtj aI80 any
OfflOe or PlOCe Of bII8iL1088, Vith it8 firtllre,.
%ht tOr8 ‘iMtitUtiOn’ 18 OosPstimS ured a8 dam-
CriptiVe Of an OStabliShJaentOr &we them the
blMine88 Or O&MWtiOM Ot a SOCietJ OF P88OCiS-
tioA 18 curried On; at Other t-8 it 18 U8ed t0
dwlgnate the organised body."' Trruteer of the
+agdy ;;3Rlohmond County v. Bohlar, &I OS. 159,
. . . ~.,~
'If OW 8PgU8Ont be SOUD4 it fOuOlI8 that
a publla In8tltutIan of the &ate, vithln the
ranlq of the seventh amendmat,. 18 not *lone
those lnrtltutionr of a phymloal oharaoter, but
al80 all branoher and department8 areated by lav
and exerclring any activity or ran&ion defined
by th. ~~i8htUl'Q anb Orilting at the tiae ths
amendment VM aopted, OP vhioh, l.fwvly oseated
by the &glrlature, have not been rejeoted by
rerort to the referenduat. Upon any theory, a
pub110 hlgbray l8 a publio In8tifUtlon. A road
18 not only a phy8IaU IMtltutlon built by the
rtate In the euroire of its 8orereign duty to
pxwmote the oonmualenee and n~o*88ltle8 of the
altImm8, a8 vell ar the oeaon velure, but
the depaPt8entto vhiohthe ~girlature ha8
delegated that ruuet1on18 an lnrtitution aa
8~ah 80 a8 l8 it8 OreStOr -- the &giSlatUPO.”
It 18 our opinion that Seation ~24 of Artlole IV of
our Sate Corutltutlon shoukl be g&ten a broad and liberal
oonrtruotlon in order to achieve It8 wholerome and 8abttePy
pUFpO8e8. It 18 therefore oul.qaInion that raid oon8titu-
tional provlrlon applies to the state board8, bomal8~ and
authorltler named in your letter.
Very truly your8
&; ; L;L
ATTORR-HY
ORRRRAL OF TEXAS
WJFrdb