Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

TEXAS Mrs. B. L. Aver Pre sldent State Board of 3;’airdressers and Cosmetology Austin, Texas Opinion Ro. v-651 ROI Construction of Section 11 (f), a rider to the current Deport- mental Appropriation Bill, and sy(lc;io; 7 of Article 734b‘ . . . Dear Madam: Your letter requesting an opinion of this office, in part, reads: :;Sectlons 4 (a) and 4 (b) of Artlc’le 734b of the Penal Coda of the State of Texas sctis up the Board of Hairdressers and Co~mrtologlsts showing the Members are appoldted by the Govera- or, take oath of office, and must be confirmed by the Senate. %xtlon 7 of Article 734b of the Penal Code of the State of Texas gives members of the Board permission to attend Conventions and be reimbursed for such expenses. ‘In view of the above Sections of Article 73411 this Board respectfully requests your opln- ion as to whether or not the members of this Board are required to corply’wlth Section 11(f) of the rider to Senate General Appropriation Bill No. 391 of the 50th Legislature wherein it states2 . ..Ro moneys herein appropriated “l shall ever be spent to pay the traveling expenses of any State empl.eyee to any type of convention within the State or without the State except upon advance written approval of the Attorney General as being for State’s buslness.‘1l Mrs. P. LO Avery, ?age 2 (V-651) Section 6 and the pertinent part of Sectlen 7 of Article 734b respectively read: ‘tsec. 6. The State Treasurer ef the State of Texas is hereby designated as custodian of all revenues derived under the provisions of this Act, and all suah funds shall be credited by the State Treasurer to the ‘State Board of Cosmetologists Fund. I ” “Sec. 7d The members of the Board shall each receive a salary of Three Thousand Six Hundred ($3,600,00) Bellars per year, payable in equal monthly payments, together with ac- tual expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties, previding such expenses shall be allowed If and when audited, approved and allowed by the State Comptroller. Such salary of the Board me-nbers and Executive Sec- retary, as well as all other expenses incident- al to the discharge of their duties, shall he allowed, including reasonable expenses in ot- tending schools for the purpose of taking post graduate courses in beauty culture and attend- Y It rl t . both ldtig !n iosevent shall such expenses for any one Board member exceed the sum of One Bundred ($lOO,OO) Dollars for any one convention or post graduate course at- tended within the state nor more than Two Hun- dred ($200,00) Dellors for any one convention or post graduate course attended out of the State; e Q 0 All salaries and expenses shall be paid out of the fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the Texas Board of Cosnetel- ogy on requisition sfgned by the President and Secretary of the Board and a warrant of the State Comptroller DI1 You have correctly uoted in your letter the pertinent part of Section 11 ? f) of the general riders to the Departmental Appropriation Bill for the current bien- nium (S. B. No, 391, Acts 50th LecQ, p0 936) Appropriations made to the Board for the current bfennfum are found at pages 847 and 848, Acts 50th Legis- lature, Item 18 thereof is an appropriatian of $6,000 for each year to pay traveling expenses of members of the Mm. E. L. Avery, Page 3 (v-651) Board. One of the special riders attached to these ap- preprlations reads: “Subject to the llmitaticns set forth in the provisions appearing at the end of this Act all appropriations made herein for the State Board mf Hairdressers and Cosme- tology shall be paid out of the receipts received under and by virtue of the provis- lens of Chapter 116, Acts Regular Seesion, 44th Legislature and any amendments there- to.” (Art. 734b, V. P. C.) The appropriation for travel expense of mem- bers of the Board contained in Item 18 must be consider- ed in connection with this special rider and the perti- nent part of Section 11 (f) to which that rider refers. This office has heretofore construed these identical riders which have. appeared in appropriation bills of former years and has consistently held that ad- vance written approval by the Attorney General was a necessary prerequisite for authority of the Comptroller to pay traveling expenses incurred in attending any type of convention. For your information, we are enclosing herewith Opinions Nos. C-4703 and O-4734. It is our opinion that members of the State Board of Hairdressers and Cosmetologists are required to comply with that part of Section 11 (f), quoted in your letter, and obtain “advance written approval” of the Attorney General before traveling expenses incurred in attending any type of convention, either within or without the State, may be paid by the Comptroller. Section 44 of Article III of our Constitution, among other things, in substance provides: The Legislature shall not grant by ap- propriation OP otherwise any amount of money out of the Treasury of the State, to any ln- dlvidual, on a claim real or pretended, when same shall not have been provided for by pre- existing law. Mrs. E. L. Avery, page 4 (v-651) The Legislature has specifically provided in Set, 7 of Article 73&b that members of the Board shall each receive reasonable expenses incurred in attending conventions of beauty culturists, both state and na- tional, within the limitations imposed therein. There- fore, if a member of the Board should attend such a convention without having obtained advance written ap- proval of the Attorney General, such member may submit a claim for expenses so incurred to the Legislature for approval o The Legislature may PraPerly make an ap- propriation from the State Beard of Cas=etekgists Fund to pay the claim, subject to the limitations imposed by Section 7 as to amounts allowed for attending one con- vention, for that Section is a pre-existing law for such purpose. SUEMARY The Previsian in Section 11(f) of the De- partmental Appropriation Bill for the current biennium,requiring advance written approval of the Attorney General that applicant’s at- tendance at a named convention weuld be for State’s business, applies to members of the State Beard of Hairdressers and Ccsmetologists, Acts. 50th Leg., S. B. 391, sec. 11(f), P. 9381 Art. 734b, V. P. C. Yours very truly, ATTQRNEY GENERAL BF TEXAS BWB:wb Bruce W. Bryant Encls. Assistant APPRI)VRB : NEY GENERAL