You request an opinion by this department as follows: “We respectfully request your’ opinion as to the legality of County of Dallas paying traveling ex- penses of County Judge and County Commissioners in attending the Conference of National Association of County Officials at Omaha, Nebraska, for purposes set forth in the letter dated May 10th to you by County Judge Al Templeton.”

In Judge Templeton’s letter it is said: “It is the purpose of this conference to have various War Agencies present to County Officials, first hand, authoritative information on our major war problems, including point rationing, priorities, War-time planning and many other matters of import- ance to County Ofhicials.”

It is the opinion of this department that your ques- tion should be answered to the effect the County of Dallas has no authority t.o pay the traveling expenses mentioned.

However valuable the information to be obtained by attending this convention might be to the County Judge and County Commissioners, and however patriotic County Judge and the Commissioners may be in performing such the action of the service, such service is not in the transaction of county busi- ness; but if it were county business there is no law authoriz- 6 ing the payment of such expenses to ounty Commissioners.

We have several times rendered opinions upon similar requests which we think are controlling, notably, Opinions Nos. o-810, O-2475 and O-4827, copies of which we hand you here- with.

Hon. H. Pat Edwards, page 2 (O-5298)

It is unnecessary again to state the reasons and city the authorities contained in these opinions.

Very truly yours ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS By /s/ Ocie Speer Ocie Speer, Assistant APPROVED MAY 18, 1943

/s/ Gerald C. Mann

ATTORNEYGENEXALOFTSXAS

APPROVED: OPINION COMMITTEE

BY: BWB, CHAIRMAN

0StMR:wb

&closures