Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

. i ./.~I OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL- OF TEXAS . AUSTIN ..:,’ a, . :. : _- -. -.mm-. . ! : Eon. Honor P. iininay, President Cniiersity of Texas :ustin, Tsxns Deer Sir,2 , For eY%Lple, could approprieted for an assoclste logy to pay ex aassci9te profss- cmmcnt end 113t. him on’ the pay- ot:zi~: tranEier% .cf mezdxrs of the faoclty cod in the o~~~oint.m~~t of nqi nezbers to new positlcns end, other ct3ployoee to other posi- tions whom the stick !23~ be chmrcd, v!ouid ft be permisslblc to Gino the cerccn t)le titlfl end rank pertzlnlnF. to tk:o pos5.‘.5.on ~$0 ‘.;‘hicb he is trons- farred and pry the salery from the spproprletion Sor the position .from v~hioh-‘he Is being treus- son. Homer P. Rainey, page 2 ierred, where tha amount and/k the rate ” paid does r+ exceed the amount listed in the nncrarrSation bill? For example, oo;;ld we use-the salarv appropristed for a-profes- sor OS Business .idlinistration to pay the salary of an cssociate professor of Law and list him 0~1the payroll ES suoh, and cbuld we uf30 th3 snlcry npgopriated for an ln- struotor In Chcmistrjr to pay tho salary of an assistant profosaor of Pharmacy end list him on t3e pcyroll as such? ” :’ I _. , j An essential function of en eppoprintion is to’s& 1 apart R certain sum of money to be used for e oortoin purpose -. end for no other purpose. It follows that a salary appropriated for one purpose may not ba used for another -purpose in the ab- sence of authority from the Legislatura to do so. / II The only provision of House Bill ?:o. 253, Chuptar 2 OS the Special Lans passed by the 46th LaC;islcturs cont,zi.nlng the epproprietlone for the institution8 of higher learning in this state Sor the biennium ending ku6uot 31, 1541, to utich you ~point as oontajning a possible authority from the L6gislature to do this, is that provision .ffhich is found on pd3e.s 444 and 445 oS the dQ,ecial Laws of the 46th Lagisjeture, rebding is f’ollo~~r “1% shell be the duty of the hood OS any institution or OEOtiOf to tr5nsfer ;i.lembere of th:s feculty 01’ other eirploye:a of the institution to any other ~osiiion than those VJLiCh suoh ui!lpl.oyeeS are now Silling when necessary to inoreuss the effeotive- noss and el’f’roiccoy OS the servioe or busi- ness affairs of tho lnctltution or aganoy.W Ths sutb~orfty to transfer a msmb!or of the faculty or en enployoe of the institution to another tnd Ciffarent position from that which he presently occupies is not equivalent to the Quthority to transfer eppproprlations. The Quoted provision . . . ., ffon. Bomer P. hiiney, page 3 ‘,. oS the asproprintlon bill tmkes it the dl;ty or the head OS the lnstitution to transrcr the particular individuals to othar pOfiltiO~s than ,tkOse which they presently Sill when h~~eesary to inaresse the errcctivoness on& erriolezcy of the operation OS the affairs of t&a Institution, but GO au- thority is oonferrod, expressly or by L.qillcatioA, in this provision to use salsriea appropriated for one purpose fop another end dificrent purpose. To take the examples zhioh rou give in your questions, a salsry appropriated ror an aasoointe prOfesSOr Of Geology nay be used to pay the.sal;:ry ~. only OS a person who performs the duties of an assoolate nrofen- nor or Geology, and may not be used to pay the salary OS & per- son who performs the duties only of an associate professor tosohing Govern;nont. The ~azie observation ap$les to your exanple OoncernlnG the use of the selory appropriated for a professor of Business kdmlnistration to pny the salary oS an ~~ la6oaiate professor or Law, and the use of the salary nppra- prlated for an instructor in Cheaistry to pa’y the eslnrg oS -. ,~,‘i~~ an assistant p.roSeesor ot Phamaoy. ~.: .~...~ ,-‘:.‘.y, Xt Sollows that both OS your queetlona must be snswereq ~ ‘- 1 in the negative. . ,.’ ,( % as% not unmindSu2 or the Sorae of the aqqunents which you advance suggesting the need of .the freedom to be oonfcrred upon yoar institution to nake suoh changes. 3uoh ar@un%nta, however, present oonsideratIons oS policy the de- termination or vrhlch is not the preroG.ative or this depart- -at, but that OS the bgiSlGtW3. Yours very truly AFPROVED FEB 3, 1941 '. : A3.l’O.RNTY G2iZRAL OF T-ZXAS B&hard Vi, Falrohlld Assistant