Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

,” -_347 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN GROVER SELLERS ATTORNEY GENERAL ibnorablo Ckwrgr H. Sheppard Comptroller of Publfo Aooountr Auetin, Terar Dear Sir: ! gialaturo cover- In item of We are In I request oi resent date reading aa foil izod to issue war- doeaarod nlio, or ior the funeral of an employee or an oifielrl or the Le g iela tur wh oe 1 8not a nlleoteb member tharati? ld. Mesrager oi oongratulatlons or oondol- en008 to meabrrr ai the Legislature or to Stat0 offioialr? 348 Honorable George 13,Sheppard, pa@ 8 at thr Govenor* roorptlon or at the C40vernor18 lnaugtwatlont 'f. Ylonr orrorlnga, oo&gratulator~ ma80 .8a6e8,or merra6.8 of oon&oluhor to any person rho 18 not a mxaber of the ktgl8- latura or.who 1s a private lnditldual?W Swtioa S oi Artfolo b ot *ho Torar Conrtitutioa pro- 3des as roUow8; ;;,,. :. *Taxer shall bo lerl,h and oolleoted by general laws and for pub110 purpose8 ~nly.~ Yeotion 51 of atiole 3 of the Texas Constitution pro- rides, in part, as iollow8: *%%o Legf8laturo shall hare ao powe-rto mak8 any grant or authorize the making of any grant of pub110 money to MJ individual, assoolatloa o? ln- dltlduala, munlolpal or other oorporatfoar whatso- over’, l * *w seotlon 6 of nrtlsle 1.6 of the Texae Constitution pro- via08 a8 r0iim8t Ilb ippropriatlon for private or dndlridaal pu~porer #hall k made. A retWar atatewnt, andor oath and an aoooant oi the rooolpts aad armdlturer oi ail pub110 noney ahall be publl8hed annuall~r, In 8uoh mannora8 8hll be prraaribod bt law.* 8. w. (ra). laturo La “It 18 MlLifeSt that Oortain Uponditul'oS mu6t b. mad. by th0 StatS, in the Way Of lS#iSbtiV@ lponoos, or ths grant 0s logl8letlre power 00ula aeror be lr r e0t~iiy exorol8o4. wo 0~8 would quer- tion leg.iSlatirO diSbUrSWWIt.8 fol’ oonriortabls am- srmt#ly halls end committoo room, or for clarka, statlonriy, eta. Within tb 84~0 ea%rgory of logitii- nate lxpon8es 0s the Le g isla tur or e0sllthor hous oomos roimbursoimnt to members for aotual axpmeer roaumably inoarrod h 0rd.r to ~tfoa’a doti. do- vo lvlaongdaly lathoziro8 ooaaitteea of the La&- laturo, or,& llther ~bauu;whon r+eh loadttn momberm aro oallod to,oth8r points than the oapital, or whra aallod to the oapital othUwl8o than during th0 SOSSiOM Of th8 hWi8&bIUhw In Torrell. Cbmatroller. v. Middleton. 187 S. W. 367, 3713, (writ or error Qenled) the Court ln ooa8trulag the protlslono or ,,rticle16, Seotfon 8 of'the Conati~ution of tho State Of Texas, relative to an appropriation for the Govwnor’s Yonslon, la dofin- lng tho dirroronoo ln appropriating e0noy for pub110 porpoerr and private ~~rp08e8, statmd as fOiiOW8Z wCon81doring the oiroua8tmors under which the conrontlon met, tho et118 rou&ht k, bo remedied and tho ends to bo. eocoapll8hod, es roll as tho porcronnol of the nu(Pbor8, it oanuotr.aSOMbly be hold that It ever ontorod the mind of aey e&ember that th& Ooternor, under the gulae of mi.ntainin& the QOternor*s 8finslon, rould be rotod grOOOrlo8 to meintein hi8 houaohold, would be voted food and oero 0s the Covornor~a horeoa, garolin, end ropelrs for his lutombils would bo toted Ub08o.a car48 Ma JWintSa intitetiOM (0 hi8 SOOid tunoti@no, and +$OfS, @oat, rogotablrs, and fruits for hi8 tabls. *Oloerly tho ltonu for whloh the oomptrollor sought aa a08 Ired to 188~ state unrrents, and rr0r uhlqh lotloa ho was rOStniMd, wore for rlrato end lndlVld~l QW OSO$, Ma JLOt,iOr th0 pUbi10 good, Uia the epproprlat1on mado for thut pw~oro by the Iagls- latw wag dlrootly ln tho taco 0s art1010 16, soa- tlon 6, of the Coastitutiea, whloh lOmWLdS thet '118 appropriation for privet0 or indltl&ual perp0808 shall be mad..' The artialos named wore oloarly not for thr ,’ 350 Bbnorablo Q8orge ii. ahOQQUd, QagO 4 QorOInor in hi8 offioial OapaOlty, but for hi8 lndlvld- . . - - - - -0 --- o--o. -0 ual 8atl8faatlon and gratification. No governmental r-------- govora.mont~ 0a. or OffiClal object would by toodinn ild bo obtained br feeding MA and ShOO14J hi8 hOr8.8, by XSQaiting - end --- fWa7hing - ------ gemllno ,,--.A0 for hi8 automobile, or by fu+~h# grOOOrlO8 or other laht+e grooOrlo8 1kUlArf.Sfor him to 00n8um. In our Oplnlon No. O-714, dated May 1, 19259,you were .‘+dvisod that tho above quoted rovlslons of the Conatltutlon Would not peralt the QaaptroUor to Pmaim l warrant la payaont 0s Wore1 OXQOnSOS 0s l janitor who we8 on thr ppyroll or the State Sonata at the tlpU Of hi8 death. In aon8ldoratloa of Sal& eeonstitutioaal provi8ion8 and authorities above referred to, it 18 the opinion Of this dOQm- ment that you aro aot authmlzod to 188ue warrants COVOrlng the Item8 or sxQonse sot out in detail in your request. Yours very truly A~~!fE?fGEttERd.,OF TFXM