Case Information
*1 . .
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
Honorable Oaorge EL Shoppub
Comptroller of Ppbllo Amounts
Auotln, Tamis
Dear sir1
Your nquut sor r*oolvo4 an4 oardully oonsi6erw4 by th 0 quot. rma your raquost a8 tollma
. . . . . ..:_
au a80 th8 W&O- t for flw w&or8 nrlloo Ta8 not rroont ruling by the 3lprow 88t 0~ini0a b;r th0 m0rnmy aa- 0 8rnl.n mubu8 lo mllltuy 8ulloo ar8 to rao*ln th e l luy an4 mllugo do. thu, Of the total ottu*llm aulmra, tour h+o not yatre- polrto4forth8 tlrrttlm. Thoque~fionw~aul4 like elarlfio4 %8 thlw
"Arm the Sour mubu8 who hare not atton llglbls to rooolro admy from the flrat day OS *2 ;’ Honorable Coorge ii. ‘>heppard, Page 2
the sueslon, i.e., .Janu?iry 12, 1943, or should OllC re?ueat be dated CR of day they r@8ter pre- Bent?
*The Honorable John Ii. Lyle reported F'ebNnry 11 and took Oath of Offioe. The other members In military nervloe, eroept iour, were sworn in at the beginning of the ss88Lon.
". . . ." Seotiona 4. 5. 8 and 2J+ of Artlole III of ocir State
cOMtltUtiOn, MC! 86 f6iiOW81 "S40. 4. The member8 of the House~of Ropre- qu8liih d l hOtOr8,
84llt6tiVO8 8hall be Oho8en br sld their term of oitloa 8h811 be two year8 rrom th6 day OS their 4lOOtlOn..
“‘800. 5. Th4 Leglelature shall meet ev4ry two year8 at wroh time a8 may provided by law and at other @me8 when eonran& by the Oovernor. ';Jhen oonlened in r4guhr &88ioa, flr8t thirty day8 thered 8hal1 be 4.rot.4 to tha introduotion of bills'8nd resolotione, aotlng upon mergenoy appro- prletlon8, pa88ing upon t&e oonflmatlon of the reoe88 8ppolntees of the Owsrnor and 8uoh emor- genoy matter8 a8 nuy be 8ubnltte4 by the Governor in speolal measagaa to the Le&elature; provided t&at dnrlne the suooee4lng thirty 4aps or the rsgu- 1U 8e8dOn Or tb b&8ltltlW3 th8 VUfiOa8 OOR- Rittaes of eeah House e&ill hold hearlag to eon- 814W 8ll bin8 an4 ZVl8OlUtiOll8 an4 othu nmtter8 thM pOnbilI@l aed 8Uoh OMXf$enOy lpatkr8 88 Qq ti mabmltted by the Cwarnor;
provided further that dming the rollowlng sixty day8 the Legl8latare 8h811 aOt Upon 8Ilab bill8 and X’MOlUtiOli8 a8 my b4 then p4nding and upon suah emrgwoy oPtter8 aa a8y be 8Ubmltte4 by the tlwemor in speoial ReI- 8ages to the Legi818tUref provided however, either Eou8e maf otherwiea datorsdw it8 order Of busimsss ‘by u1 a3Slrnetlve vote OS four-Siftha of its member- ahlp.~
“Sea. 8. Eaoh Boucle 8hdll be the judge of the qualifioatlons an4 6lootion of it8 own member8; but oonteoted eleotion8 ahall be drtermined in suoh man- ner as shall be provided by law."
“See. 24. kmbera of h&28ttire till reoolve from the publio Troa8ury a per diem of not exoeodiug 513.00 pr day fc& the fir& 120' dwn of oath seeelon and after that not cxoeedlng t5.00 per Cay for the rwainber of the eeesion.
%I atidltion to t&e par dislL Lhe xierPber8 of eaoh House Shs11 ba mttltled tn miloege in &a* to alid returnlnq from the 8eat of governmtmt, whloe milaage shall not l xoeod $2.50 for every 25 ~!llea, the filstanoe to ba oomputed by the noarost and most direot route of travel, frora a tablo of 618tanOe propared by the Cmptroller to eaoh oounty 8eat no1 or hereafter to be estab- lished; no a.mbsr to be eatithd to mileage for any extra eeasioon that nay be oallad rlthln one day after adjournment of a raqalar ox oalled 8088lon.*
Seotlon 1 of Artiole XVI of our State Constitution pX-oVid.8:
%eOtlM 1. OffiOirl 08th
Weabero O? t&o Le&il.stum, e~~4 811 Offl- oer8, befor* they enter um~the 4uflo8 of their offices, shqll kko the foll.owlng Oath or Afflrme- tionr 8waar (or 6fflrm .I*
do~sol&y that ~'%I~ falthfdy examto the duties of tlm - - of the State or Texa8, 8110 offloe or
will to the best of my ability pre8uv8, protoot, snb defend the Oonatltutlan and laws of the United statea a114 of this Strto; aud X furthermom roleanly swear (or 8ff'ii-m). thnt I have not dir~otly nor in- to w, watrl- dlreotly paid, offared, or prosbad buted, nor proalmd w oontrlbate 8ny money, or taltible thing, or promioed any pub110 OffiOe or employment, na a reward for the &ding OT withhold- ing a vote 8t the eleotiotl at whloh I wae l leOte,b. So help ae God.'- 5422-3-4-54& Vsrnan’8 Annotated Texti Artiol@a read a8 fO11ow81
civil %UtUte8, "Artlolo 5&22. 5505. 3271 'NW of meeting
“The Fortieth Leglelature shall aesemble to hold its blonnlnl aeaeion on the eaoond Tuaedaf *4 Honorable George ii. iheppard, 1-e l,
in January, A. D. 1927, at 12 o'olook m., and &all mot blon.nlally thorutter on the mmo day and hour until othorwlse prorldod by law. Coast.
art. 3, aeo. 5.
LTho80 porrono rooolvlng oertlrioatee of leotion to the %neto and ROUBO of Fiopreoonta- tlves Of the Loglrlaturo, ma4 thoeo SenatoT0 uhoao term of ofrioo &all not hato temlmted, and nona othera, s&l1 bo 6oupetent orgaulre the SeMt* and HOUSO or Xepremintatltoo. Aets 1876, pa 311; 6. L. vol. 8, P. ~7. Who shsll DrWbidt3
“Art. 5h2L. 5507-8-16 -For the purpose 0r 6tlch 0rganlPation SoorataryoS8tatonh~UproaiUo atuohnoarrlng should thorn bo no u8alon of the La&laturo. soorekry 0r stat&* In ease he bo abeant or un- able to atfond, tko Attortuy Goa8ral &all attend (md periorm thq datios preaorlbod. He ohaU attend at tiu tlm Ma p&o0 bibolunatea th0 aret* ror Logi8laturr andahallap int a ole*rho oftha 8hall hare bea 0hl.i olo* of t E xoU8. thr pro-
oo&ng 808slon If ho be present, to take a minute of the pmoe&*.
vho aloe, unaor the fllrootion 0rtb sooro- tary of stat+ Bhaul
'1. aall al1 tbr kountlo~ la alphabmtiaal ordor. should nturnr of l lootloa in uly aouaty Sor mabora oi the Legialaton not bo mado to the orfloe.of ha ahall rroterthe- seomtary oi State, 1088 call suoh oouuty.
-2. mell t&e oountler are oalld ana ttu mombore oloot *gpear and proud tholr ero~ential~, to emh the ossloi~l oath. aaldni8tor
*Art. 5~26, 5512. 3278 Crodontlal8
*Any pereon appearing at 8al4 oall and prr eantfng the propor evldonoo of his lootlon ohall
!. ,,.> ‘i_. , Iionorebls George H. Shopped, Pqe 5
ba sddttsd or quellilod in the sems memer es thou& the return of his slsofioo he4 been u&e to t&o ofiio.
of Saorotery of Steto. P. D. 5438.”
Qonstnti~ 8ootion 1 of Artlols XVI of tho Stats Constitution, prior to the prosont ssmulmont, esd in 1881, the Bupreaa Oourt or Toxu, In the osse or State 1. Oooke, 54 Tax. 4.82, held that undsr said seetlon of tho Constitution it wu e~ldent that thoro was l dlstlnstlon b&w-wan tha rl&t to en oi$lqo.aM tho right to eutu upon the duties of en offloo, lnesmmh 88 8r;ia soetloa or the con8titotian required the t8klng of tho ooastltutlonel oeth borers puson l ntltlod to oifloo ontod upoz~ the 6utl.s OS the ortloo.
Tha oas* of &loo f. state, 150 8. u. (26) 1039, oon- strulxiu t%ootlon 1 of Artlols XVI of our Stat0 Constitution as it now l rdsts, hold ill tho aots a speolal judge, who took an 06th not in oonforaity with the oath sot out in sei& seotion 0r th4 aosstltutlf+, wars rold, ss4 oltod msny l uthoritlos.
It 18 oleer that ln order for one booom entitle4 to reoalr o th e *per dlu* sb o~e roromd to, tho l lelnat muat mro then morsly booomo uitit1.6 to the oifloe of do somothlng rqnwentatlre la the .Tuu L&alature. 80 must ~0 rurthor and In feat booou a moabor OS the Taxes E&u80 of Bopresaate- This hs.oen os.l do by taking ths oonstitutlosel oath titu. or oltloe. ulales 54% uul S42 pro+ldlng a method ior ed- mlnlstuln6 the oonstitutlcael oet to membus of the Eouso, % wo think uo not l xolusiro but marely bireotory stetutos, en6 iaesawh as tha Iiouso aor 0utlo.n 8 of Artiob XII of
that oru-bfete Ootutitution 18 *the $a&* or the queliiimtiaas end dostlons at its mmbars*, tha Eouno oould l ooept tho qrulitiaa- tion end oeth taking ot e mombar et ULJ tlmo durlry the mossion tid in w smsast l osoptebla to the Ilouso of Repnsontatir.8.
In osu of 8peus t. 8hsppud, 150 8. w. (26) 769, Tans* 8uprem Court oonmtruob Sootion 21, OS Artlob SIX oi OUT Steta Constitution, en4 hold,emsg othu things,thet tho rluht of umber oi the Le&islsture to raoeira the pr dim StlPdated in ssstlon was not dopessled upon eotuml ttondsnse 011 tho 18 roqulnd 18 that the sessions of the k&leturi, and all that Loglsleturs in session esd thet#o oleiuat be a member thero- Oi.
Eonorable Qeorge H. Shopperd, Pego 6
Ws Intarprot this doolsIon to moen thet all thet la reqtirod in cedar to l ntltlo a olefrant to his *per diem* es a member of the Loglsleturo la that tho Loglslaturs bo in suslon and thet tho olelranf l asabor for the porlod of tine for whloh ho olelms the meld *per 41s~.
Oploion HO. O-5039 Of this dopertmsnt, sddnsssd to you, writton by Attorney Ganerel Yenn, holds spsolfIosll~ thet msmbors or the Lsglsleturo rho ue oorPlisslone4 offloors or l nllotod mon in the Army, Nevy ezid JLerIno Corps, ers l ntltlsd to tholr selsq uurrults a-06 tho state.
It being PdlewSul for l ny nonor to be paid out of the 8tete Troesury exoopt by l uthorIt~ of sn eot of the Lsgls- laturo l pproprletIng the bus, end A.rtlol* III, Sootion 51, of the Qonstltutlon of nab hevlng prorldod:
"The Lsgl*leturs shell here no power to make any grent o r l uthorlxs the reklng or any gamut or pub110 aoner to eny indiriaui, usooletlon Indlr1du.e~ . . . . . whatsoorer. . . . .w
it obviously follmm thet l ottlson cannot bo pal4 eny “par dloaw u l member of the Loixlsleturs Sor uy day or days prior to the the ho buue l mm&u thsroof.
In snswer to your questions you em thorofore l dvlsod es r0iiotr:
Ropmentetlro rJ10 who tw oonstltutlomal oeth OS stiloe on February 11, 1945, la sntitlod to bo peld his "par diem* Sor fobraery ll, 1943, end la l ddltlon thordo sll *par dlee rbioh my uoruo for e&l d+ys ths Lsgisleturo la in ssssion during hlo teuure of meld ofTlea slnoo FobmarT 11, 1943.
Ii tho rou rho ero entltlod to tho offloe but who hero not yet bosoms ~smbozs OS the Lsglsleturo pro0004 to booomo msm- berm by teklag ths oonstltutlonrl 06th of oifioe, thon durin6 tho prssoat sosslon sueh mbors will bo ntltlod the full ?mr dima* Sor sll dw the Lsg$Islmturs or rhloh thw hsto booomo nsm- hors la la sosslon on end rtor the dey on whloh they teko ths oonstitutlonel 06th OS ofilos. required
Honoreblo Oaorge H. Shepperd, Pege 7 The msmbors who took the oonstltutlonel 06th of
0rrioo et the boginning 0s the sos*Ion but rho hem bin00 not ttondod sosslon era ntltkd to bo paid their *par UloaP for ill the tlms tha LagIsleturo whIoh they era umrbors la in session.
Yours tory truly ,,,. .r- ~.. ,<. .' caPB:AMm
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