OFFICE OFTHEAlTORNEY GENERALOFTEXA8
AUSTIN
Honorable George H. Sheppar&
Comptrollerof Pub110 Aooounte
Austin, Texas
Dear Slrr
opinion 100.O-3998
Rer Expense aooounte or
members of Pu?&lo SaretT
aommltwJioa
We hare reoelved your letter or Septmber 17,
194l. lrdrloh
we quote ln part as rollowe:
"A member ot the Commissionfiled with
WEI departaanthlo expense naoount ror a rht
#lO.OO per day, with no 1teimll;atlon
or the
amount expended.
"Sinoe the l.mwJnoe 0r warrant In paylaalt
or expenses is bawd upon the idea of reim-
bursement or a refund or the aiuouhtaotually
apent, is this departmentauthorized to reoog-
nlge and pay the erpeme aooount or a number of
the Oonnairrslonthat 1s eubmitted on a itit $10.00
per diem basie4
"The appropriationror the payment of this ox-
penae, or wage, le In the Qaneral AppropriationBill
for the DepaHmant ot PubI. Safety, Does the rider
limiting the expenees or State employees to ti.00
a day oontrol ln thla lnetanoe?*
Artlole &.J.3(2), Y~rnon*s Annotated Clvll Statute8
(Aote 1935, 44th Leg., R.S., p. &.I&,oh, 181 % 31, oreates
the Publlo Serrioe Qmrnlselonr Bald article xeade in pat
as r0limet
Donorable George H. Sheppard - Page 2
"Art. 4413 (2). Creation of the Pub110
sarety c0mii~sion
-. . In the appointmentof the members
of the C&mlsslon, the following quallflcatlons
among others aball be observed: Knowledge or laws;
sxprlence In the enforocmentof law; honesty,
integrity; eduoation, training and executive
ability. They shall serve wlthout oompensatlon,
but shall be entitled to reoaive Ten (810.00)
Dollars per day as an expense eooount and neo-
essary mileage In the perrormanoeof their
duties, suoh expense ellowanoe shall not exoeed
Fire Hundred ($500.00)Dollars annually ror eaoh
member."
The question now presents itself :ðer the Com-
mlaslonsrs are entitled under the statute to the flat sum
of'$10.00 for each day spent In the disoharge of their
ot'ilolalduties whether that amount Is entirely expended
or not. That la not the Interpretationwhloh we plaoe on
the Aot.
It a Commissionerspent less than $10.00 per
day and ~8s p&Id the full sum of $10.00, then that amount
over whet was actually apent would not be an expanse. It
would be either ciform of oompensetionor CLgratuity. The
Aet speolrlcallyprovides that the Oommlsalonersshall serve
without oompensatlon, and a holding that It Is a gratuity
would be In dir8Ot violation or Seotlon 51 or Artlole III,
Constltutlon of %‘exh8, which prohibits the granting of
pub110 moneys.
T&US, we think It olear that it wae the leglalatlve
Intent that a cobmlssloner 1s entitled to reimbursementfor
his actual expenses only, with the limitation that he oannot
spend more than &lc.OO for any one day or $500.00 for any
one year and claim reimbursementior the exoees.
you ash whether under subseetlon 12(g) or Seo-
tlon 2 of the current departmentalapprOpriation bill
Bonorahle George H. Sheppard - Page 3
(Aot8 1941, 47th Leg., R. S., S. B. 423) the llmltetlon
of $4.00 applies In this lnstanoe. Subaeotlon 12(g) or
Seotlon 2 provides as follows:
uAll employeastraveling at the expense
of the State are hereby llmlted to the smount
or Four ($4.00) Dollars per day expenses for
meals end lodglngg It being speolflaallypro-
vided that the employees shall obtain reoelpt
ror all amounts expended ror all Items or
lodging and other expense exoept amaW, and
ahall 'filesaid reoelpta tith their expense
aooounta,whloh expense aooountamust be duly
ltemioed end sworn to; end the State Oorap-
troller 1s heraby expressly prohibited tram
paying any expense aooounta whloh are not
ltemlaed.andsworn to tindeooompenledby
reoelpta as herein protIded.*
Subaeotlon 13 (i) of the anme aeotlen reads
in part as r0uowf3t
"It is expressly pmrlded that th8,pro-
rlalone of Subaeotion1Eg of this Aot *nth
referenoe to llailtatlon0r amount or travaling
expense shall not apply to the Governor, the
Lieutenant-Qmernor, and the merabers ai the
ooamiaalonawho reoelre nm a*
*en traveling In or out of the Stats. .'. gB
wphaals aupplled)
As the member8 of the Publio Safety Ooamklasion
reoelre no salary or per diem, they sre sroepted iran the
operation of Subaeatlon12(g), as to the limitation Of
$4.00 per dep for meal8 end lodging.
ArtloLe 4w3 (2) also authorize8 the rehburse-
nent of the Commlaaionersfor neoesaary mileage.
It Is elmentery that berore publlb moneys W
be withdr&wn from the Treeaury, the LegialetUr%muat m&e
Honorable CIeorgeH. Shepparci- Page 4
an appropriationtherefor. It is &early wlthln the pro-
rinoe of the Legislaturein appropriatingfuada for oer-
tain purposee to provlde the mannor or payment and tie
attaah oondftionsto their expendftmee. see opluion no.
O-1426.
Subeeotion12(r) or geotlon 2 or the appropria-
tion aot authorizesreimbureamantfor nileage traveled and
providea the method ror ooapputingthe aam. 8ubseation13
0r Seotlon 2 requires aertain inrormation 10 renderlq
expense aooounts 'before any expense aoooun8.ehal.lbe
paid tram ap ropriatlonsherein -de.* Althmgh Sub-
eeotlon 13(1P axoepte the erimns nema4 rran the pco-
rfsions or Suhsotfon 12(g7 dth rereraaae to the limIta-
,tiim0r aaumt, it dow not lsoept tho& rrom that part nor
~h~t~bsestlop whloh requirea itemization or ,expense a@-
.
We bekiere that *stat0 emplorrW@m us04 lsithe
approprlatLonbill oowcs all offioer8, reprrrssntatirer,
and auentts or the State. xr thfu wore aot alvwly oh0
legirrlatlre fntent, then the ina.lnrlo~
or SM?meot~o~13(f)
In the b2l.l would be a foolish sob.
Xt la our opinion that these proriotora.8
are
blnding upon the mbers Of the Fublio Gafot~~C~eaion.
!Phererore, tho expense aooeunts of the Cormeis5imers
met be ltemleed before th6 Omptroller 56 authoriasd to
pay the sama.
Very truly yeurn
,
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion