Case Information
*1 OFFlCE OF THE A-I-i-ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS I AUSTIN
klonorabls C. li. Capnsss
State Auditon and WfLeioncy I3spert
Austin, TcSas
You si%ite the fo1
this Depttrtmnt ‘of the quo8
a priqmr report. t to offlce, t!l8 right *Vh6 stttte~Doard of Water i3qim3crs s~~~l.&eslgnate, subjeot to approval by the zf(pBernor, the rirst maa-3 at .4 Directors. . e .(I *2 *Ln the record.6 af the Secretary of &ate been unable to laoate any indica-
W~&WO
tion of *approval by the Governor*~ln thfs
matter* We find that on Awgust lath, 1939,
the &3cretary of -sfnte~m3oe!lveii t&e fOl'lol+
ing letter:
= t Awglst 14, 1939 'Qrr IT. L.,BeaucJxmp
s%cr%tary of state
Austtn, Texae
*WC are enclosing the Oaths of Offloe of the Uir%otors of the irebb County ConserPatl.on au& LIecla- s;rtion Distriot in order mat joxa may &mm (rartificratea of Come&s- sion to .thap~.
Your8 very truly AA7 .&Donald, S%ar%tary, c+) .S$ate Daard of Isater .i%uglnears .t "&l th% S&#'.dUt~ ilrf:~e8U&Pmp l&&ld w letter to.--the effeat tha~~~ef%me Comnd.5slo~s
could be+ssuedit aoxald be ueootmary for each of the gentlemen namd to pay the statUtory : '~
f&o0 cmcin Jiw3.. *~JII hagust gad, Asi, the Seom'tPrj-of Stat0 reaeioed..a~ eheok f&W $5.00 from 'one of
the Qareotor?a* of the Diotriut and Co~~~Iaeiona wfme.iseued.8bq foll~~ac: . .
"A a &ull*r&areilo’~t~xaa. FCtur year teri. Ruben FkDatie.f3&arado,Taxas.~ Faur year term. TWO yeaT farm. John d.O~t&ern&uwi~,T~.. Teedosia Gutlerret,dr~~,iaredo,Feure. Two year term. J.C.iQettsr, tSred~i.TeXa~. tie year tm.
Vhe above mentiomd Xet'ters and the official O&.&S and C~RWLSS~~~~ constitut+the entire record of this Isoard in the files of tile of secretrrrg *3 We shall gr%atly appr%Ciat% your Opin- state. ion, or answ'ors, on the followillg questions:
“fl) D&e the fact that the appointments were
not approved by the Governor make them of no effoott
’ w Does +approvul by the Governort, under pro-
visions aUch as abore, aonstltute in fact appointment by the Governor to the %xt%nt that such appolntW%xts uould b!.3 subfact to kmflrmat*on by the senste* '(rs abw0 in- ferredj there IS no r%cotd of Senate con- flrmation In this Ga~e)'~ EP the answ%~ to questidsi Ad. ~..aTiovo mz~ans
.(3) that thbke DirWtorS were.not legally qualZ- would f&e Ocm-
f$ed,to8hat%xfe~t,ifa&y, aitssions Issued vest in the persons n-d the r&$&s to those offloes or the rights to entar.upon tRe dutieb of those efflceat If you zY.nd this Doard of Dlr%ctors illegal- “(4) .ly holdfnl5 ~ffWe.,-do you firn~that. any er
all iwmfracts .te'whieh thsy'tviay h*'been i part.2 are bbtdhg ujnm:th& ?k&r$.ut, a@ thpt::" any or aX1 of their~offloial aots;aei 6ueW !' rrecwlkgalt .y:r yz?u pina 'alta tdmse lnrW~%orS RaQ tea rl<s "
*(a) to or of office new they entitled to any tom-
pqsatfon or expmsas, for the p~ormanca of ?,W ++%,es~$ ,they: offteeet, ' ' . ..'. *u,i rf tlieywere-Got entitlarl w any or all such “(6) towns i%8 may baya be+8 paia 'to 'fham us aomp%n-
&&tiOn OF %lQ0ns0$, t3F.3 8Uch SWRS sLibj%Ot t0 reowesy ami if so up0n which offlaar or tiC%he F&ate devolves +be duty of &my instituting proaeedlngs to r0cover't In SeotloQ 4 Of t&3 samte Bfll It I.6 provide6 "(7) fhht vaoancles on She Board of DZroators,
by expiration of tom, shall be fill- *4 cd by the Board itself. Is this psskbly
~eolf-perpetuating* power, ahiah 'appears
CQ he testad in t.ms Ihard, in ooafliot
wltxl eny ~GonstitutloPal or statutory pro-
tf6lonst Is the provision for four-year tsrmfs
"(8) of ofTIce for two of the five Diroofors, as fri that Bectioy&, consonant wL+h
.mded 33a of Artielc 101 of the Canstitu-
se&z3
The Issuanca of the ~codasions to the BOaru lcem- hors named by you oonstltntes an approval by fhe Governor of the claeignation mcla by the State Eoard of Water Englmers.
Them is no precise form cf approval by the Govorn- 0; xv+ed'by the Act. It rmerely makes neooesary a conscious, intontlonol aof approving the designation of'tbe ax%nber~ by .
the State Board of Xator Engineers, 'and oertainlp the act of to the desimted IEW&U?F~ vmld bk most issuing the u~sslon6 cogent, and to our tin&s, concmslve exlklenee or, t&o xucprlred SP2w-l.
Ue take your statement, to the efPect fhat th& Yocret6ry of State isfmed the oommiedone, to she39 *at the fweretaty .q State 1auSully attsstod the aomiselti previous- ly afgned Iq t&e Gweri#r a& atta&Wd tie Btate*s seal.therc- 66, as be ‘is,i$zqcdxW to do.
:i tiotior~ 80, of Artiole ti,.oS the doi.&t~tioq de- Qmls 1 _,-
l Al1 oomluiasions t&all be 14 the name and by the aatlaority of ,we state of, Taae, -eisprad by the malad with the State's seal,
6iwerncw f+ atteotsd by the seo??et&y of!
state .Y
*The (iwarnar &all o&s6ion 011 of- ficers except Oovern9r, menibeTe of CongR366,
oiootsrs for Pr%d.d~nt SaiL Vice-Praeidont OP
the un3,teC States, imz%em3 of tbo Lq$slaturo
mx.l mnic4pnl orricors .*
iiollordm? c. :r . ca.vness - pqQ 65
WblCb appoinwnt, if mode during ite seesion, ah&all ba with the 4WWk3s arId aonssat Of twa-
thirds of the Senate prosent. If timde au&n&:
the recess 0S the Souate, the said appointee,
or eo* other per6on to iv.21 6uch YraatlGy~
EJhaUbelumdluBtOd to the sanatadnrlzlg the
fh'6t tan-6 Of it6 Ci%6dQa. Lf lY?j%Gfed,
soid offloo shall iatm3dAotel.y beawn rsouat,
an6 th0 GOv%Fllop shall-, without dQl&y, malte
further aodaatiene, until a oonffmat~oa'
t.ebe plaaa8 but 6lwuld there be no confir-
mttioa during the sesalfmof-:tll% Seuate, the
GoYemor 6halZ not th%re&ft%r cqtpoint 6Llly per- 606 tU f-f&l 6UOb~?&G6~O~ Who ht%S beea l%+jS3C3t- cd by t&e Senates but ntsg uppofnt maw3 other
peEson to fill.tht3 vacancy tlntfl tha next
cession or th% s%rrots or.antfl &ha magalzar
cleotiOa to Sstd ~fif~~.shoul.d It ~ountw oc-
cure A~o~atments to rt~&uOtos fn oPflac6
elaotlre by th0 g~ople &all Only oontimm
untdl the f&ret general eieotion tberee.fter.*
it will be men this Sootion does aat puspart to ttwndtmte the authetity 0f.a rewsa appotntee, exaept in the event.af a rejOot.&ap..by.rHus6l to aonfixm. In other wor&s, Station 17, of Article XVI Op the Canstitation, de- olarlug that %ll oW1War6 tibhin the Stat0 ehall oontinu0 the dot&%6 Of th%ti Oa%%6 th%fl' 6?X%%%t?6- to pWf0r0l Until , app~ee~to rea3at6 appo+nCeer, or. dial1 be duly quauiysd" 6th the cbuzeptlmr.aEo+e pd~tLOm3d~~s- fhst is','of am$x+ ion -of confirksafim by the s%¶aete. .N
T&k6 point was before~this i30parfBuat In the mat- ter of tbo fontwe of Tom LLing, state Auditor, wherein we holds
*wmas'.you were epp0lafed during the re- Oeas of tha SelYrte~ aoainuted%o the Benof@
at its pras%nt 6%66&oa, rmd bJI that bOdy Pe- '.
Jimted, ~QU hare tom squarely into that part of' said sootion uTier%ti ft grmides that 'if
re$mted, Sad &f&O0 ahalf. %med%ately bsCOS@ vacant.‘" (U-W)
. -
, Tbc &xd.sion in iXmieon v. State, 61 s. w. (2) 2pl7, lrrit of erroxy rcfumd, is portinont; Justice Jm.zgh, WgtaIg tp%? O~~~i& sab!h
t.. " wThe_langua@ *ii rejected said office
6haiXl.'lnmedS.atoly beco$Woacant, and the
i3wemar shall, Hthout delay eke f'urthor nowdxmt~ons untfl a conflnzati.on tak66 _...- ~ph~~o;~.clearlp aa l?y necefssmy~irapLlca- iglOn'tieni%e f0 a nom+nee irhOf93 conf3xni&lon ‘ha6 bean rsjooted by the sonatas, any right
&u+sver to.ocmqky the 'office or to ais-
charge, after suoh re$mtion, any of the
dut2.e~ theroof +a
(4) Question (4) find.s its ans+r fn what aa have said fn the @vkt proe~ psrragraphr
,@is .we wn6txy3 to moan that the swx=etory an6 rrorquwr roflerp* to are~afflaerq df t>q Eoard as.suah, tml thiwef'o~~ that.mmbers 6f;tha Board may be and shoal& be aeleotad to %&3136 ,positio,us, am$ to that extent suah xikiaibcr seamtay and nembar 'Treasuc~r woulU be entitled to fixed by the l3Osrd.. This dX!tlC~dEiO~ the COj+UwitiOn is not 6ontrary to any publf~ pol.icp WhatX%y6r, beCau!+i 'the 1egLslative fitit creates puhLlc policy, and It could not b-3 contrary to public policy to do the precia? thing ex- prcs~lg iautboriieed by tile Legi6sZaturs to be done..
LionOrablC C. Yi. Ciwnoss - pg3 %
But a6 to tho muager, th2.s reasoning sill not ob- tain, because the oana~or c0uld not perforro q'function as uanager of the Bdard, but oould perform managerial function6 wi*,.~e2s%Mt tO the~bI+nees OF aCt3.tities of the Boarit, un- der th6jib;at, and if Was in this eenae only that the Office OS. jxu@gsr is creqteb. .'
In OUF OpI3iLon.Bo. O-410 6e.hcld that hr. Jories, 6 ~mfmber.oC the Eoa~%I.of. aU%?ctore~~~f, Texas Technologfc;il col- lege; ma zxot e53gzble'far &d~could'%bt accept the position of m36Xdent of ~tho ~6titutlOri by .olebtlon 0P the hoard of Ga.lch he 6as a,mmbe~; tithough'he~had~fetiered hi.13 @sigua- tloa, ~@&ch; riew*er; hta h5t been aqc’epf;ita.~ Thc~tiecis~ffn wae &asad u$on the pI.lbli.5 polioy .&h&t ~6Z'OP~3.ce~'(euch 'a6 a mo~ber of the lmard~0f Direotor6 of the inetltut;lon)~6bo~xd no$..btJ :i3&101?ea tO'~,Ofi.t'iB aagrri6e~a6,'by"tho ‘selectftm to an @M;cq 5S enqUim$nlf~ the electiiin By’the BcrSra.af vhiah ho va.e'a-siieaber; xatr qrieetras;~ t..w3rt3ror3F faifitml.bq MSU~- ob aittmngly, 'thaf is, the BOaN ratSmbcr, BfMrMAry and th0 Bow,@ ecr Tr~sfnx~%r BhOt~Ifl t'goeive.suoh oompensation a6 ' 'nay &-by0 been pmW%deU 'w the ‘BdariX, but the matiger could not reoeiire fees QT catspnsat~on uhatfepar -as su&h, if he i6 time a 5epiber br the hoard. at tm.3 mm
(6) Ee do not deaa.it proper 'to ans66r this qie6- tion, rurther timn to suggest, if' y0ur eXamzLnatfon6 shculd 6ho6 uhat you tahe t0 b6 .probably 6x1 improper os@mditure or u6e of fuude of the district, that you make &mm 6uch matter, tomther tit41 the facts in your po66e6aiaa,~.to.thle Dopart; want, to tha ena that wo pray oheok: Che ra%ttak+~~rmatters, and take 6uob step6 a9 in the oginion or this Department are prop- er and Isaful.
(7) Ee know of w 5onf3titutiaaaJ. prevision forbtd- ding the prmieign of SWti;iqn.,4 that vaoancios an the Uoard of M.reot0rs by cxplrrtt4on of term6 shall be filled by the Board Guch izraha, w5 think, does not violate the prln- itsalP. ciple that ths Le,gislat.ure may not abrogats its pomr to legis- since an over-all late or delegate to another that per, right of control neaessarilp doOs coatinue tibh tha Legisla- ture not only to provide tho mathod of the seleatlfm of dirotA.- WY, but to control the a@mcy in any way it think6 propor, and ylv3* to abolish Ft.
(8) Section 4 of the Act provides the tenure of the first directors of the Board to bo 'one mmber to serve for one year, tvo members to servo for two years, and two akembers to serve for rot3.r pears.' This, in 0~ opinion, is not in violation or Section 30a, or Article XVI, of the Constitution. It till be noted that Section 30~ deals specifically with the members of the *Board of Regents OS the State University, and the boards of trus- tees or managers of the eduastional, eleemosynary, and peml lnstftutfons of the State;' but it further declares, '&xl suuh boards as have been, or may hereafter be ostab- lished by law, may bold their respective offices for the term of sir yews, one-third of the members of such Board to be elected or appointed every two years in such mazmer as the Iregislature may detemine.w The language, 'such boards as have been or my hereafter be established by law@, embraces the Board under oOnsl.deration, but they constitute maxLm and not minima teuures. In other words, Section 30a is to be oensidercd In the nature of , an exception to Section 30 pmscribing a maximom tenure as to those off'ices not otherwise fixed by the Conatitu- tion.
Very truly yours