OFFWE OF THE ArrORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Depertment of Agrioulture
Austin, Texee
Gentlemen: Attention of Charlee E. Beughman
,’
Opinion Ho. Q-1911
Rer Kay the Department of~:‘&&culture
en6 other neo-
n of this depertment
n rsoeived.
n of Artiole 5695
81 Aote ai the
ature, ths Conmis-
erged riCh the
y’and aoourately
8, .beama and mea-
era, bputy publio
pectione and inveetigetiona
the enforoement of said acte.
ee of $5.00 aon3Otea from publio
deputy pbm ~8ie;h8rs it3 t0 pay
for the inspeotion and test of said eaale0,
weights and meesurea and the fetemuat be ool-
leotsd by the Commissioner before the requir-
ed Certificate of Authorfty is delivered to
the public weigher or deputy publio weigher;
502
Department of Agrioulture, Fag4 2
therefore, the inepeotion and test 'of the
scales, weighta and measure8 must come
rirat, then t&e collection or the tee and
lster the irrauanoeof the required Oertiil-
oate of Authority, whiah must be obtained
by all public weighers and deputy pub110
weighers in this State1 likewise a ocmplete
examination end teat of the equipment uaed
by liaenaed milk and cream testers must k,
made during the oourse of the inveetlgatfon.
"In order bo make the above mentioned
tests, heavy tset welghts and oumbersoem
equipment is esaentlal; ln.faat, a large
number or 50 pound, 500 pound and f%OO pound
teat weights are employed In tests, lpaklng
the use of two large g-l/S ton trucks and
ssreral oars and trailers, neoessary for
the traneportatfon of these heavy test
weights and 4quipment;~alao the two large
frtmlm~are equipped with .lndiv~dual'porrer
plants, driven by gasoline motora, whloh
furnlah the parrerior unloading and loading
the weight.8 ipd noving'them about tinth4
platform ot the scale. The transportation,
maintenance and care &this equipmeat ie
abaoluteJy neoesaary in the p~fora~~e of
these duties, other&as it would be iaposel-
ble for a-person to comply with the law.
%tnrally, there le an 4xp4nse inourred
in the transportation, lgaintenanaearxloar4
of this 4qulIuaalst;suoh as, gasollna, oil,
trek, tr6iler and oar repalre, parts and
repair8 to the tssting 4qulpment proper,
and rocrms and meals ror the drivers of thla
equipment.:
YPhe canpleted.appropriation bill doe8
not provide a epeoiflo~item Sor defraying
this nea4ssary 4xp4n#e, .and,ths,onZy provi-
aion In the bilLfor ita payment is in the
special rider plaaed at the end of the appro-
priation for this Department whiuh makes a
lump eum appropxlation of ali fees aolleote&
Department 0r Agrioulture, Page 5
by virtue of the above mentioned Aots, for
the enforaement of sam4. Therefore you will
pleaae edrise if the Department of Agriculture,
in meetiog the reaponeibilltiea imposed upon
the Colamissionerby the provisions of Article
5695 R. C. g. 1925 and Oha er 257 Acts of the
42nd Iagielature, haa the cthoritg to use a
portion of the lump Bum approprtition made
in the apeoial rider OS the apgropriabon bill
to meet the aboY mentioned and similar neoe&
ary expenses.*
In the aPpropriatlon mad4 by the Legislature in
z&m&e Bill No. 427, A4tS Regular 54asion, 46th Legisla-
ture for the Agricultural Departnmnt under the general
hea&g Weight4 and tiaEm46 Di~islon~ appears the Sollm-
ingr
“36, ~Xlhi4~ of Ditieioni . . . . ..I......... ~2;700.00 X,700.00
37. Inepedtor of weighta and a~asares..1;8OO.OO 1;800.00
38. Imqeotcr of weights and meaeur4&.1;8OO.OO 1,800.OO
39. Inspector of w4bhte and m4asur4e..1;8O0.00 1,8OO,Oo
40. Inqaatar Of mighte and m4asur48..1;8O0.00 1,8OO.OO
41. Inspector of weight.6 and measularrr~~l;EKUL# 1;800.00
42, uapeotor of weights and ~qasures.. yloo*oo l;t300.00
43. fnspeotor of weight@ and~meaauree.. ,iKK).OO ~;eOO.OO
44. hepeetor Of weights end lD448W4S..1,880.~ 1;8OO.OO
45. Inspector of weights and nmasures.~l;&nLOO 1;8OO.OO
45. Inapeator of weights and meaaur4e,~1,800.tM 1,8OO.o0
47. xmpeotor for teeing butter rat
..in milk and ozeam ...... ....~.....1.800.00 1,800.00
48. fnspctor for testing butte? fat
b milk and 4ree.m ... .............1,mo.oo 1,8cO.o0
49. Inepeetor for testing butter fat
in milk and oxwu ....~....~........1.800.001,8OO.o0
50. &laries and other 41pen~es in th4
weights and meaInire8 .fas fund
&tic18 5695,.Rsvisdd tXv%l S&a-
tl&sa, 1925, Chap..:
Session Forty-se40
50a,Rent, heat, light, Po+g4. tele-
phone, telegrap$iprinting sup-
plies and Contingent. . . ..L * . . . . . . 1;500.00 1;~00.00
50b.Roomeeper ana offip deputy.......l;6oO.00 1j500.00
5Qc.Traveling expensee~.~.........;.....5,000,00 S,OOO.OOe
of Agriculture, Page 4
Departlilent
(The oo~ernorvetoed Items Sob and BOO)-
The speoial rider appended to the Appropria-
tion r0r the L)epartm%nt of &rknllt.ure reads in part
a8 follows:
aFor.eaoh of the fiaoal years sading
August 31, 1940 and &sgust 91, 1941, all.fees
and/or unexpended balanoes whloh have been
reoelved and,whsoh may be.reoeived by vivtm
OS Chapter 7, &Wale 153, Revised Civll"%a-
iuztee,1925; Chapter 3 of Title 4,;Bevlsed
Civil Statutes; lQ35; Article 5964; Revised
Civil &dUteB; 1933; Article 5695, Revised
Civil Statutea, 1923; Chapter 887, Rsg~ular
868B~OU, Forty-Bsoond Lr3@8htUTe f chptat
304, Rsgule'rSeeaion Forty-first bgi8btttm
and &use~Bill Xo. 12, First Called ~hssion,
Forty-iiith ~gislatura and any aslsndnaant8
to any of Bald aot8 arkhereby appropriated,
after they ohall have been depo8ited in the
Stat8 ~%aeury, to the Deptirtment~ofAgri-
culture to be wedby Said ~partmentier
the enSoresapentat the abwe-nmntionsd Aots
and for the operation end nmintemanoe of said
aotiVitb8 a8 hereinabwe 8peai?iOblly itemized
and in no event ehall any of theae fees be
we6 OthZtiBe."
The aSW3werto yOUr qUe8?ifCKi18 crontrolledbar
what we have already said to you conoernlng 8iI8ilarappko-
prlations and vefO%8 Of the hveX?IIOr, in'OtE OpiniOn8-f708.
O-954 and O-1687,
We quote fmm our opinion I6o.O-1689, above
ferred to 88 sollows
"The speelal rider quoted in your le8ter,
also quoted above, doe8 not purport to nvlke
.
these fee8 available to the Uep8r6ment of Agrl-
culture generallp to bs~3med for the enforoeaant
of the Aota under uhiah they are colleaa8edend
for the operation and mainSenanoe or such aoti-
Viti48, but apprOpriatie88eid i%eB XW8trictiVelf,
IIeparta6ntor AgrlOtilture,P%ge 6
with the lbnltationthat they may be used by
the DepartaMnt 0r Agrioulture for the open-
tlon and nmlntenanoe of srid eotlvltiee end
the enforcement otthd Aots under rhioh they
are aolleoted laB h%r%inabova %peoi?iO%lly
ft@m&ad and in no erent 8hal.l any of the%%
fee8 be,a%ed OthsnriBO.* It fO1bW8 that
bbe8e fee8 ar%'not available to the D%p%rt-
ment generally, but are areUable only to de-
fray the it8m8 of expbnses to nhloh they are
appmpriet8d a8 8peOifiOally itemieed in the
Afsta8 lt eppeered.wben it bfmeam the law ,of
the state of Texn8, whlah rae n& until it
bad been approved by the Qovemor. The Govdr-
lloF*B TetO of euoh 8p6O%ftO item8 lndloated
ebove w8 fully eifeatire to ellmlnate theee
ltem%~fram the epproprietion bill, and there-
ion to Plait the authorityti expend th6%%
taPd8 %OoQrdi~&."
It r0il0rs mm what we hare said abov8~:thetyfmr
questiontrmt be ansremd in the nrgatlve.
wueting that *he rOreg0fi.gially anmOr8yOaz
iaquiry, weremain
COMMITTEL