OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Hon.v. a. Gooaman,
Ploe-C%afrmsnof thp a05mtt30
areatad by I?ouse Simple Reeolu-
t1oo 232,
,..: ur letter at resent
at on ~theabove
d7lea subject. r letter 88 ~ollowar
on es to thetlldlt~
rim3 in Fort Korth
They tell IPOthat Home
n ZWie noi a valid reoolutlon tLt-
re Em an opinion on riause3inlpleResolu-
plezacntto Ecuas Simple Resolution E32,
t a~go~rf~te~ $2,500.00 far the aon-
s oo?a!!lttce. Th4y date the ~oxdlxq of
the supplementciidnot awakeHouse Simple Reeolutlan 232
vaua in8O!htmii a8 ft &ass ae 8 basltafor the eppm#lr-
tion ?c':,!.l~e xmp3.s 232.
+l?hfj
r9eson I wnnt t!i!eo,?inlonis that 8 greet
4s~l of ar1tl.cI.m1~ aevelopirq?bemuse of t.*.eImotivity
comittae. T%.Ipublic 1s crltlaizlni:
or t.5.18 nll msm-
hem of this comfttee. Xe are fiavlngto t&e this orit-
iclopl beqauae the Cheirmanwill do aothlng about jt
and lithis eontinnea, I shall be aompeled to nsk
for dissolutionof thJs oommittee.
*It 1s a shame thrrtthe Stata’s money should:be
8pwnaerea in thi8 ~~pmierana met o~pooifilly th8t
such D need lnoastipationIs not being Dade.
*I will fqi~reoietayour opinion on t%e vdlia-
ltp of this resolution. Personally,I do not be-
lieve the aoaznlttaehas any authoritywhatsoever
to aat after,ths Ss~sion. I want your oplnlcm in
owe I cianxwt strai@ten tkis out and get some-
. thln5 done.*
On.Xay 3 104pI,H3use Bimplo ResolutionRo. 8X:, pro-
vtding fo'or
a 60848
itt4e to lnrcsiigatc tht sale of ecrtaln meet
rrum deed, @aaeezous and other sick animals, WWJ offered ana
adoptal by the House of Reprere&:t6tfrco. TM5 rerolutionap-
earson pages EM3 and 362% al the Boua4 3~1~91 Tsxa4 &th
e,gi8laturs. ,l!hiroandttes wae 4mp4wered to hoid lnrsstl
t$ons, qnaui~narltneaeas, eoaq!eltheir attendanue,punnisb$'or
eoatempt, Jiafre
taoir OS,,
.,z;~~..;~'.'~::::;:,:~;'~iadinrjrr,
fa'.;s)l*.
&,&&&&, ,rMe, of ..pmc.edura
the #ytv &&&$on by hag :i ,i:~.
Q,jyln;j, ,~a&..
*.port.:tbslr. ~:~.
fan. On the same day unanimousaonrent 148 @tmtcM
future rresa
to increase We melabers or the oonrmlttee from fire to eight end
the Speaker a? the Rouse appointed the meeabereof tba eomgitte=e.
See page d639 of F&use J-1.
OnMay 11, 1943, the eommltteaeppointoa by virtue of
House Simple R&solutionNo. Z38, reportedto the House the work
that had bsen.done by the eomfalttae.Thlu report a .mara on
pages SO61Co 9063 of the ZMise Jourrml, the cantan %8 of whlah
attempted to show the as lotible oonaltlonaexlstlnF ~Snthe
stookyardeanb 414umsAp plants 0r IAlE state ihe report
ooneludedwith ths &eommendetlon thst the eomml~tee be ln-
5tru6teQ tc ml4 rwther lnveot~gationain en errort to for-
mulate 'adequateJ.s&lotion thd ~111 etop the aal6 of dlseasd
meat for humm oonsmptlon. On the 8-e day, Rouse Simple
R44oktioa fro.306 wan Sfcred and adopted. It ocean in part
aa follbws~
"Be It Resolved that en approprlati~:m of twen-
ty-five hunarec!($&,500.00)Uoll~rre be agnpriatea
Hon. V. 6. Qosdman, p. 3
out 0r the ormttnr&r.~ expense funO of t?,e?!wse of
Kepr4aentdJvee tar the :~urpone or bermyinq the a-
Peres or aald ammittee %rtfr the 4:?t!l Legislature
h88 adjourned, In order that aaid oommlttec, operat-
in& under House Simple E;eaolut!onho. 232, map oon-
tlnu4 to lnvostlgateand brire to ?ubllc attent~lon
suah praotiaas,in order th:t such practice6 may be
a0pp0e .*
The Suprdae Court or Texas in tha aesa or Terr411 ve.
zing, 113 Ter. e37, 14 3. '3.(26) 786, held thet elthar nouse of
the Leglalature by its own resolutionooul6 areato snd author164
a ao6u&ttse to sit and aot after adjournmental the a4eslon. ws
quote in part,from the dealsion aa follorasr
*Sitme eaoh hous 4:~ntinuaa in exlst4noe after
th4 end of n le(Zinlatlve neesion, a6 aet4tin4d in
Brergoson v. Maddox, 114 Tex. 93, 95, 98, 383 S. W.
0W3, nna sin06 sach boufm le investedwith inaepend-
sat respoeeibllltiesana dutle6, and 1~ the a010
..~. ", jad~d~or Its ownrules of pmo4abr4, w4l$zinh the
porrsrof eaoh houaa or or the Lsglelatureoannot
be~aenled to nam4 oofilmltt446to sit, either dur-
ing sses1om of the Leglelature or in ro0e88~ ror tb
purposeof fiathorln~g 00mid4ree regul-
1nSor;;stl.w
;:z;~or helpful t4 tnll6hteaedor 4~14lent legisla-
.
Vhts authority of oaoh houao to use laglsla-
tote 408dtt04s 0r inquiry sad invegt*tlon $8 af-
finned in Cooley*s ConstitutionalUmltations (8th
Ed.) at page 275, where the author s4y6:
**&ah hause mat also ba alLorrred to prooecd
in Its oun way In the aolleotlonof such lnforme-
tion a6 may aeam laportant to 6 proper diechar of
Ena whenever It la deem44 daeirable
:tafbn~~tirine
that wftness46 should be 4xmufmC, the power and au-
thority to a0 84 is very properly referred to a ooa-
mlttes, with any power6 650* of rlnal l8&latlv4
or judlclal aotion a6 may s4em neoessary or exped-
lent in the prtloulbr oese.*+
This deaf&on ie also .4nexpra9sslon
of the reoo@aiacsd
loglsla-
tlve praotloe in Texas.
Hsm. 8. Il.t&odmaB, p. 4
In Opin. Ho. O-Q% thin depsrtarent held thet s
simple ho2sc resolutionmay create fico.mmittee end eutborlz6
it to At end mat after adjoufna;ent of thc~ stmslon but JUY-
lr* the tsrm of 0CPice 0: the Legioletura,
Rouse Simple R+solutlonNo..232 areetnd a aommlttee
to make lnvestl~tlons into sales cf diseased meet for humsa
OOllRQUlFtiOQ BGd to report to the 49ttrS8ssl,onOf the Lc~lsls-
turn or any hmme saasion. This Is +nd,iaative of the fast thnt
the oommltteeK'REempoweredta alt and aet after adjournment
of the pressnt xasslon, esgeclallyso in vlcw of thfilimited
time batwetr the crertlon of the sommitteeand the adjounment
of the Le&iilaturs. Se art?thus of the opinion that gouse Simple
RgeolutfonNO. h3% created a cotbafttee wi:ichGOrilds:t ani?eat
after the adjournmentof the i.ecislntureT
Assuming the oommlttecacreeted by I&use SlmpLe Raeolu-
,tlonRo. 232 did erpirs upon the sdfoumacnt of the 48th I.s&s-
Aatum, although we belleve to the oontmry~ neverthslsss,thiu
cWtt.ee wa8 revived by House Slmpla Reeolutlori Ro. So6 rhieh
sxtendd the oommlttee arPetsd by !&use Slmpls ReeolutI.Cbn Be.
Z3e to sperats after the adjournxaent of the 48th Legisiaturtband
~: U~plWJPiUtsd 8~ ‘OWtlkiB (i- MIt; ~Oi fhC~:,tdS@&tiC~‘cr*p~d~~flld
of the Gouse 0r liepreseatatlveagor the purpose of defrayln$ the
mxpsnses af the oomudttee. 39%believe that a resolutionean be
ravlved by a subsequent rwsolutionwith mrG?mEtIS 01&y toits
tltls wititouta reeltfitj.nn
of Its eontents ss requiredbf a law,
ulnae the court.mdo make a dirtlnotlonbetween a'resolutlonand
a law. We tioshelmv. Rollins, 79 8. &. (28) 678, writ of error
dlsaisaed.
It 16, ‘thawrors, the oplnlon or thin depaWnt that
Rouse ~lmpls ResolutionNo. ~ZS?.,
48th~&gislature, is a valid
msolutlon and the aonm<tesoreated thereby may sit adl aot.
after~the mdjdurnmentof the 48th Legislatureup to the aonveu-
ing 0r th* 49th Ls&izleturs.
Very truly yours
BY /a/ Fred 0. CharidLer'
Auslstmnt
By /a/ 'Robert0. Koah