Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE AITORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AIJ6llN Honorable 8. la. Whlteaoro county Auutor Grayeon Caunfy Sheman, Texas uie reasl~s4 ysur 1 is self-explanatory an4 nab o alme of eaacch pnonth of hla eaoh ottioernamed hereia W&J to& on 4 fee basis @hall aae!cea% pert rt now requirarl by law, a0 its;Pim4 and anKIm stat&nt bf 4U the h~tiual =a nsoers- sary ex nt384 inourr~6 by him in the ooa+mt of his ott 13" ,os, 6UQh 68 .rtaQioxiary atasl burglary, th&, robbery lnruranoe proteottng public runAs, traveliai: srper?oes end ot&ar necee- sary axpeness. . . .* “(b) Xaoh 0rri0or nsaed in lzlle Ad, *ere ha tlPCfdYG% a salary Cl3 ca2apeaseti?n r0r his sea.+ ViOO8, shall be empowor44 an4 pmnitta4 to plroh4ae md have aharged ta his county 4l.l reaaonablle ox- penes6 neoeatmry In the popr dn4 leg1 ooniruot of his offioo, prGEium8 on oftioi~l~D* bonds, pre- aiuu on fir*?, burglary, theft, robbery insurance proteatlng publlo SW&S ana faoludlng this ooat OS curety bonde tor hi6 Dsputleto, ouch axpnse~ to be p444od on, pre-4ctarnlneb 8116allowed In kind an4 aaounte, 88 nearly a@ ;oaaibl,e, by the Ooamlsa.ionero* Court onae eaoh month for the ensuing nmnth, upon the applioetion by craoh offioer, stating tlm klmt, probable umuut of szpsnditure and the nooeasity for the bX29WeB Or hi8 oriios f&r duoh SIUJ~ month, wliioh apglioatloa shall, before preneata- tion to ~14 oourt, float bo ~riiortW by me aounty Auditor, if sny, othemiss th.a oounty Tre4mr4r, saly aa to uh4tlmr PU4s are alr4ilable for paygmt of euoh axpena$+s. . ~. +* Beotlon (a)@ the above qiotsb Artlole ia applloabl~ to oWlaer0 on a fee basiu. Bectfoa @‘) 1s appliee~ls to those offio#r$ on a afilar~ batilsr $SOt:Oll 1 Ot &FtiGl8 sgli?O, V8ZI101kr1 &UiOt4tOd oitil statutee, reails, in put, 40 rOuOW8~ “Ro Atatclet offio%r ehalL ba palA by tha Stat0 OS T4X4# alJt f4sSS OX OOE!Al46iGlUfQr4llg asrvicre perrome by hint nor shall the State or any oounty pay to any county ofiioer S.3 any OOUIltyWXt8:ti~ 4 DODUl4tiOpOf tWSllty th@W- cm4 (ZG,OOQ) lnhctbltants or ziore acaordide; to the last preceding Peder41 CaaaurJany Pee or eammi8rlun for any esrvloo by h5.a pesrtoasd ass auah ofriaert . . .* under ths pr~~~isioae of Artiole 3W3e,-*otioa lc mpra, the Criuhal hetriot Attoraop td! Wa9t3oa 3xmty ie 540 a aalarled offiaer, and It neeeeearily ZolNw# that Baotion b or Alalole 3699, 8upr0, is a9plfonWe to your pueation. 8wtiona (a) and b) ol Artlolo 3899~. srupra, beoaae er- teatike oti $~usry 1, 1946 ~5 were a part or s. B. IIo. s, 44th tog., lst end @x7 Cfil.fhl Seealons Ch. 465, pa&-e1768. It fa to be nOted that fhOtlOn (@of 66id ASiCle ape0ffi6aUy provides that fee effiosro ~lagrbe rairabursed for tx'wel oxpmwea. It Is signifiocmt that Bection (b) OS 6aLd &rtio 9 e, altbt;tqqh enacted at tho mm4 the 66 8ectPon a, doe6 not ptitttle that malaxied orriosro ehall be relmburaeb-for tra- vel?nt3 ex$eneee. BeatIon or Article 5899, uupra proriCe that said otfiiaer aohall be wipowere4 6nd permid to pur- abase and have qhnr6ed to the oounty all reammable expensea neoeasary in the psoper ci~d legal omluot or hie office, . ." We are unable, un&rr any va2ld rule .or aonatruotion, to say that the above quoted language groviiIe6 for the allowanoe of traveling oxpenaos of any oountg ox dletriot offlser eubjeot to th+ px@inions of raid Seothm Of the Artioh. Ue be&love that our oeitloa Fs.sugpdd bg H.. B. LhLeg., 1,at. 6nBm il.whi&~.beoe~.e eYSeot~v0 July.7, 1937. 2 Ebnornble B. K. Whiteaara, Page 4 Xr the Criminal 3jstrlot Attorney of my aounty witbin the above population bmG$et was already entitled to traveling exgecasee unCer $eation(b)oi &tlcle 3899, thera would have been no nG8d Or tile LeSidQtUN emoting 8ection(o) of said .hxtlale to speoifically provide for said expenaea. That the Le&,slature wan aware of this, is bcrne out by the language In the emr op clause 0r R. B. Ho. 57, eupra, (Artiale 5899, t3eetfon or whiah Is ae foliowar “f?M. 3. The faot thet there is not now any pmvieion for Criiinal District Attorneys perf’ornting the dutioa or Dlatriot Attorneys la ec& oountiae euthorieiop; thm to ixieur sxwnees in ?nveetigating crime and aocuzulnting evidence ir e&&ml CESBSend that there are many oaeea whore it ir aeoerrsnry for ouah Criminal Jiotrict Attorneys to exgerid moneys In order to ~pro rly inveatlgate orine and aooumxlate solcenoe r II orir Laal onaet3 oreate aa smexgeauy aa4 aa l.mparetlve pub110 aemseity that the Conetittitioaal Rule retglrizq bills to be read 03 three eeveral daye be, and the .mae is hereby auspmded, ci~c thla Act ahall take efreot and be l.a tom6 rro2a Ma after the date of ita paoaa~e, md it is so ennutet¶.a We am nnable to find any authorkty Sorthe allow- ance of traveling expQnse& to the Srimlnal Dietriot Attorney of Grayeon Oounty imr %nM.ns@ n trip to Oklahoma City, Qkla. in investigattn& a crmal oatm t;o be tried ln the Di6trlat Court of Grayson County, Texas. The reply to youx question is a ne*tive ammar. Yourrr very truly X?F VDulAY23, 1940 ~.u " Ls:GO COMMI’ITEC