Case Information
*1 'OFFICEOFTHE ATI’ORNEY GENERALOFT'EXAS AUSTIN
Honorable W. S. Bussey, Chief
Mvlaion of WeQhts & Measures
Department of Agrioulture Auatln, Texas
Dear sir:
sea td%on- veny \
Your letter of July 9
partment on the following
Assooiatlon.'..
"ARTICLE n - Ang State or City Impeotor
%eot~lon 1. of Weights apd Neesures In Texao Deputy Inspector shall be eligible for active membership.
Honorable W. 9. Bwaey, Page 2
%eotlon lt~pe~otm~ 0r wetigh- 2. - ,Repidrmen, ina 8nd mearurin~~ devloer. 8nd lndfv%darls hating ~~. au-interest in w&ghLng &d meaauriug problems may become ssroolete members.
“Seotion 3. - Hanuisoturers, jobbers, whole- salers and firms, oomp8nies, oorporetions
associations having an Interest In or are oon- cerned with weights 8nd measures work, may be- come associate memberr.
“Section 4. - Associate members, 88 indivl- duals or otherwise, ah811 have a voioe in all proceedings, but shall not vote. ?Seotlon 5. -‘Honorary memberahLp may, .,up-
on reaommendat~on or,*8 exeoutive bommLttee, be .o&fsrred upipon' thori, ;per?~ who' &a% 'pep-,, gqrv$oe in behrlf: i3r: th& rozmed outrtai+.ng I. ., 88sooiation.
_
‘ARTICIR III
“Seation 1.. - The offioers of this aeso- olatlon &hell~be a President,. a Bioe+rer&dent, 8 Searetwy+%esru.rer;~ and an .Asris$~ant Seu&e- targ.. There r&1811 ‘alao, be.~ c ~eOujig?e t$?mmLttee or ‘five:..membersi .IM;ae .rZp ‘.of the..Prit~:$&len~,. the
;: :‘. ,~ "or thee a&oUitian;:and three' Vio~++rhldent @her- eotlv6 niemberr of ‘the aas,ogl&tlon. Ap1 the ~:’ ror&gbing orriO ehall be xl.J.g@d ~23s. e&x+ion .at ~the. aizwal meeting 0.f: the, @woglr%$g~:h?~~~L ita Pcrtive membership. vtp~~i13~ ~EI.. ury.. tsrtde .tiy be ..rllled by rppoln%ment~ ,b$ the exi?oi%tive &mmittee ’ ~for. the unexpired term. . . . . - ~he~Qommlsslaner tie AgrLeulture
'Seotion.2. and the chier of the Weights and N+wer ahaX& ~~ be ex-orrlato memberr~ ‘of the exewitive ao@imLttse. ” T -~
l seotlQn 3. - Phe ,aerldent ahev psrlde at ~~, ‘::” 811 meetings, ihal& e8ewe order, enfewe the oonstltution 8nd by- we, oall. apeois1 meetings, c
ohall be ex-offlolo ohalrman of the exeeutfve commIttee, and ahall appoint neoeraary 0ommAtteex to carry on the work of the 8ssooletlon, ln&xdZng a three-member no*atlng colranittee.
Honoreble W. 8. Buaaey, Page 3
%ati& 4 . - l?M healdent or Saqratary- Weestir ah833 have povbr to aena flora w&b&tea or death In the hoaaehold of .ti evtit of'aiokneai e nlember of the easooiation.
'8eotlon .5,j - Ln the ebaanoe of the prealdent, the duties or hii offloe still devolve upon the vice-.prealdent.,
USe#jfian 6, - Tiie .8tiretby-Treeaurer atill keep~.rea?& of all pro&dlnga, shall cd&Teat.
811 duea, givlng~receipt therefor, and ahali pay ell~bllls on fhe approva,l of the Prea~ident. He a&ialP~hiake~.e fintmclsl r,eport at. eaoh regulw
E&+rfjble W. ,8. Bmaey, pa& 4,
and et,a ptiae deoided~~pon‘by the uaooletion l plaoted ,by the exeoutive aoqilttee in.oaae lie meet- ing'p&aoe is designated by tbe~eaaooiation.
RSeotlon 2. - The dates of the annual meeting ahall.be deterplined by the executive committee. No l uoh meeting shall be Galled within 60 days of a regular meeting.
'Seotion 3. -..Speoisl meetings may be oelled by the pF.e,al.dent upon request of the executive oommlttee.
‘A R!l?ICLE VI
“@eotiog 1. - One-third of the members shall oona$l$ute- P quorum. All voting ahall be aontined ~to.a&~v~.~nmabera.
,*&&on a. - &ll elect&n of oifio~ra~aha&l A.ma~.a%?lty of aXi voter oaat’. ihal& 'bq.$y.hLbti oowtitute a ohQloe.
"Seotlon 3. - The term of office shall be one ~year.or until a successor has been eleoted. 9. ~Adj.ournm&nt.
"ll$YiTe@ VIII
"Section 1. - This oonatitution may be, eltered, amidid, or added to c&L~ by 8 two-third8 vote of the members present et the annual meeting of the Association. T.o be considered, any proposed ohaage in the oonstitution ahall be submitted in w%?iting to the president, a&least 30 days before the date *5 Hoiwwble g. S. Buasey, page 5
c$ t&n ma&t aunual meeting, and oOpiea of aaoh be promptly 8uppEled w,tha pzeri- ~p~iL,rhall dent tg ellaative~ me&era of the aa~oaietion. The propoWi1 ah611 then be eated upon at the next annual meeting.” 0r
It reema that the Comptroller haa refused payment expenses of your employees incurred in attending the Annual meet- ing of thla association on May 7th and &%h, because In his opJ.n- ion the meeting was a ‘convention,” and the advance approval of the Attorney General wee not obtained es required by the our- rent departmental appropriation bill In the followlug term:
“No moneya appropriatedtiere3.n shall ever be apent,$o pay.the traveling expenaea of anystate employee to any type,of oonventiqn wi$hin the State or wltho~ut,the State’~~ept.llpon.sdvsncs written
proVal ~of.the ~Attorney Qenerel’aa .be,ing ,for.@e~e~a :. fmeaa.:. ~~I&& this ~prbviaik, trevelh-e%$eneia’ lnc&bd G attending + ‘bcon6intlona oqot be paid unless. before they uere incurred the written approval of the trip must be aepar+ely ep- proved; this Department till not undertake to give blankvt au- thorizationa._ tIfe,are ,or the qpJ.nlonthat the mwttng involve~iaon~ l t1tute.d t !q6qentlOn* tithjm the aieening.,of the ~&ppr$~‘%ttlon then assemblege~of & ‘meeting;. 8
bill, Phe deaeription.of uoolifer6noe a etc.,’ ia not in@rtant~ its ahs*roter 38.. ~A ?conventS&!:as .wed in the a$@o~iatian bU% ia a ‘masUng or ~~epa,,:.~r’,delegatee. 0r 8 prlvete’6~gan$Eat2on, partr, .+e like y” Bee our qpl..ni.on~~Ho., O-1731;* : %#ha olub, so~~ety,,or “private* or *orrioiel depadfi, hrpcroterrof i+e b~ganlaeti~h.88 not alone upon its purpose, but..slao upon.ita ayuberahip~ :The Conatlttition’and By-lewa of the Aaaoolatlon revea,.l that the ‘%a- sooiirtion la 8 “~pMva,te organisatlon.” ~$Phe ,privete oharwter of the organlaetitin is emphaaieed by the.folowing prgviai4$i$ar
(1) Private indivldtiala, firms a.733 aoqor.stiowmi4~ be ‘eaaooiate” members.
*6 (2) ’ Duea are oolleoted from a%1 members, regular an& ^~ -- [5]
.., Honorable Ii. & ,Bussey, ;Elsge 6 t, these due8 are not oolXe&hd bg r&herLt rmooistei : they~are: eqe&+#j UUheut an,8pprqwl.atlon
would be 'H#kd,'%f %hey:Uer-~ puhblio mmie&*), .&i$ : ', for puipoeies fdr~'whlah, If the46 ~funds vere not tI?e.pmperty: of a private orgaailsatlon, they could not be expended, (POT_ instance, floral~tributeo ~l.n event of slokuees or death in the household of a member of the asrociation.)
Ye trust that the.foregolng answer@ your ln~ul%i. &I the'future, you should request the approval of thla, De- ~. psrtment in kdvance of attendanoe~upon the meetings of,tLrir organirsation.
Yours very truly : ,: , / , ,. ..: .‘, ,- ,, .,