Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
itonorab1e liarry Knox
Chairman, State Board of Control Auatin, Texas
Dear 81rr
xour Lnqulry calle ior the
aonstructlon of a carts ered Into by the
of t.aklng all of the dead to his undert~ parlor thereaPtQr $8 able in many o those relatives and t%lends who s mceeeary funoral equipwnt. k oopp ormpaties your letter and hae bean dored by this department.
The foaturcs xmtioned abovo era deened euffl- 0iQnt explanation or the oon+ract to s&e iniiellfgent our answer to your i.rqxtrles. The first qwetion yen $3ropoIlnd 1st *Doea the State, Board Or CQ&iEo~ have author&t7 to enter Into such a contract?* Is thw the question should be answered Sn the af%rmatlve.
We oan find nothing illegal about th% same. It is oer- tainly the duty of the State to Be% that the body of an innrt% of the inetitut10n is removed to BOlw undC3rtakimg parlor as 80031 as possible after life haa ended It is ~lkovise the duty of the State thFou@ the ouperintemi- ent of the institution to notify the relatives OS mmh inmate~sdeathamiuhew thebodyxqbefound. Inour o-on, no relative would sane OF ba ullllng for the body to rem&n in the institution or +thout ear@ dur- ing ~hoti~~~~hiChw~llldberequiredin~loot Ztmtancres for thmz to ooF1s to Au&in aixl make the neoesaary ar- raugyzwte. Ii? the und8rtaker upon t&sir arrival In dustin Eokes a trad8 with thmior the nmmmary ca5kfA and other articles for the funeral, that is no eoucern of the State) a@ tf M tiertaker i.e oilXS.nS to give a decent burial to those inmtos, the expense of wh&uh aould otberwlse be upon the State &st for the @v&- lege of camying all dmeaaed patLta to tie umlertak2mg mlor, with t&e hope of eellina; relatlvee the nemsmry articles for the funeral, we CIul sea nothing ill0gal aeat the lnki%rt*, but the whole x!attw oolqwts~to That we belbY% to be in ~freepltag with the pwper ear% sad reep%at the interested psrties are duetbedecossad patient.
Tour tse8ond queixtlon &: l PWaee advise ft
this cox&raatehouZdbeletmabjeotto thereqafceaenfe~ oi~tlaleo63(a,6~,6(e1~3srd,~ of thshv~md GiYil ststut%e OS ia6.* An -tion e theme Arti-
cles dbbaloeedl that they govern the parahase of oupp2feo by the State,and In our opiniouuou~duotbe 6pplioabl.e In the 1ettlng Of a Gontraetll.ke tw~.uileFepo pllrahsse of euppliee in solved.
Xou 833-e further advised that it is our opjsion, in the abeem ofthis contraat with thexmdmtaker,that the d%ath of one of the inantes of one of the eleamosy- nary institutions vould authors th% stats Board of aon- trol to -12~3 the neee fnnalw supplies, in auaora- ante with Art.5cle 660 of t&8 Tieed statu*.
vary wulg pair% AZ?EORR2X Ct!RWUL OF‘ TSXAS /JpPROV ATTORNEY GENWAL OF TX::