Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS XmoraBla tIeor6s Ii. ZiJmp~ard Coa&%rollu d PuBlio ~iooounts t.: ' A4l#cin,T8xar l8t in their oxpens* MieMe&, &a., m&at k . This srt1el.e pro- mlpplying ln- ~rovi~ioa ot thir ais0md, lwr shall oMan~cra0elI to any parson he Xureau of Labor Ztat- au or OaplO~~ or rtioh ng any ptoririoa of t&Is I Be tbed not fo lxoaed five hundrod’bolf.rs, or Be l~prfsoned la jail no tto lxoaad aimty bays.* It is apparent that thl8 atflcle applies oalg te re- yortr nlattog to labor gtatiaties and doe6 not extend the Ea.?- Sidoatlal nature of reports to 0tImr *otIvit5,as of the BuFaeu of Labor Btatistior, suoh as bolbr iarpautlone. we bollwr , t huvf ora, that while tkm traveliag lp enw lroouta 0r ooplo~wm 0r the Burrru or hb0r statis- ttOa 8&0aU mt sot a2 the names of puoons interviewed nor rerwl lnfomation obtained in ronnection with the per- ioraanoo of 4utl.a preuoribod by Title l.8 or f-he Taxas ?enal Codes but PO to other dutla0 dalagatod to tfrs Bureau of Labor btatistloa, sach a8 boiler improtlon, tbo traru:iag ezpwme acoogntr OS t& lagloywr of said Bureau rhoold oontala all inrorwthn foqairod or 02her state D0purt:mnbo. Thr general rider to the Dopartmntal A?propriutioa Bill (8. 8. 4H, irots, 44th Ia&) oontainr, aaaag others, rhe fOil6Wbg jWoviaioM ro~athg t0 travdiag 8XpMa AOOOIUtS: -(t) Tlu ioilorln~ rulu shall ba ob- rutod by all 8tato lsployou in ronduin6 their oxpansr aoooants Before eny expenw aball Be paid iron lo a o unt appropricitloaa ho r a~ ln 4 e for ttm?olh lx p wa uf ; 4 u lg na Wd po82 6f brty and all other tow58 visited a&4 tho objort OS l~oh rlrit and of the lp o 01 f1 lx0p ur suin8ur r .d. .( W Tba MM of hotel, restaurant, %tt/b..dl&W X?J?&?&& bMA S’kVk%Q.h.-0vLla a nd io d& .Z~l r. pr00UYWb Ohall bo ~1VOll in #j *wry oa80 rhmro a~ luoelpt is ropulrsd wider thir A&. -1 T&m ama of tha tranoportatioa agoner i&806 and the OMt of the tfoket pUr- ohud, 2o6etBu with a 61 aab rmoaipt ror tlu aam.” (K?rph&olaour8 7 By 8*otlon ll of lsrti0l.a4344, ~i*vlurb Civil 9tatut.8, tbr Comptroilerie r*pulrod to: *ru4lt tha olaiaa of all parsone agalnot tha 6tat.e la oueea wbrre provialon for 2h8 pvprnt t&mreoP has boon made Br law, unlsea 2& ark&it or say 8uoh claim ia othenrlu ap00irm i~0rida4 ror.- 13W Boaorablo 000rg0 8. ShopprrQ, PaSo 3 To au41tw hao bow dorim in the opinion of tho Dollas Cow2 o? ClvlA @Halo in IUlllmo v. Towpkfno, 42 3. 9. (M) LO6 at p. 110 wotlag from city Of 8yhrCUO6 v. 110s000, 66 UlOO. lirp. ~14, 183 N. Y. 6. 403, 408, a0 roi- low81 “Tho manIn& of tbo ghraoa *to audit,* &a apyllod to olalmo agaloot tow, cltiso, ,orBountloo, tmaM to bar, to examine an bo- count, ati, in Ua broador lemo lnoludos its adJmtrPrnt or allwanoo, dloallowmco or red- jrotioa aad tho rorb ‘audit,’ as aa usad, ma&a s 4 to aOmlaO, to ad oat, and oloar- 4 4lioo tho lxoroloo of @A 3olal discretion.” Ia or6or pro;)erIy20 aublt a traveling oxpsnrr socount, ?ollW Pit be 8iTm ouffloloatly 8p~01r18 1afOrMtlOn dotloa perrorad by th olaployo@ 20 mnblr hlm to do- termlB~ what&r th. purpo8os r0r uhlah the 0xpO00.0 w0re lnoarr- ld may properly bo ohargd to .tha particular appro?rlatlon. It lr our opinionthat tIu iaayrequas2 ed- Comptroller dltloool lnformotlon ao to &a bualxmao transaotodby a 3tate eaplom OB l trip, partiolllar when he ha8 reoooa 20 doubt tint for a logltlnato State purpooo wlth- out of nhlch o fth el~p r o p r la tlen P&oUo not propared 20 say, homover, that u a matter or law, *wry trarollng sxptnao aocoun2 must nt out in minokot detail ovary aot puPor.wb by the eaploy8o. Juot how oorplote mu02 Br the lnforaatlon ~0 to duties perrorxd lo no2 a matter whlob wo arm lay down 8 set of rules which about wlri govom all otro.0. The problsa la one wtich cnn Be solved only By steal oaoperatlon ktwsa rb Co;nptrol:sr and other State Dqmrtmonto, whamby P prd0KiOO my bs a~olve& that will aaaure th rulfi1lmont or his ltatutory duty of oupervlolon over all 8ta to lxpendlturoo, and at the sha t imo no2 enousbu of traveling tho ofSrotlton*os aploysO0 by roqulring the.3 to make roporto, dotailod and volurntoou~ to in extent far bsjoti aBy uwrul yurpooo . IhOtbr tbr four rr~sn00 aowuxtto, whloh you attached to 70~ roqteot,are ma&o out ln Ouitlolent detail ta enable pu to smka propor audit of tha aooowta le a quoetlon r&ich .oannot by amwore& ,*O Q aOtter of law by this dopi?rtmnt, but oPBt be dotormined by you in the naeonablc exsroise 3f your . addnl8tratira dlsoretion along the llnce of the auggeetlona herelubovo made. 'iho Cour expsnae accounts are mturmd to you harewith. Yours very truly