Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS \ p.!J
t .
Honorabla Braaf 0. Ckntry Chalmaa, Tona JUghvmy Comlsrlon
Aurtln, Taxam
D04r Sir:
Opinloa llo. 0 ion to your latter
‘158 hava gltan oar AIiguat go, rherala of the Coaalealoaera
Stcta Hlghvm~ Dopart
clotion of stat. atats burlnera pur- poaea pertslnl4g f their travallng erpensae will be OS thr State Highway FUM.
that tha Asroaktlon will ngtoa, Saptamber 16-19, in- ring nattarr or 8dmlnlrtn- 44aao8, draign, tertl4g, oua Fllghuay Departmnta : Road4 hdmlnlrtntlon.
enoloee a copy of 4 letter of date ad to you by Bonorabh Thonaa E. of the United Iltatra Pub& Road8 Ad- trr ateter it 18 laport4nt that that e reprera4tatlrea the meeting. at Cooparatlon b&roan thr Stat0 Hi(pnr Dopartmsnt raapaot to the oo4atruotfon &a4 thr Fedora1 Gorsrzment highway8 xDrea4ly provldod Arti WTlq-4, Ratlsed Clril atatuter ol Tax48, whleh nu6emtaa one of the objrota
Eononbla Brady P. Oeatrr, Page L
for whloh the State Highway Fund 10 dadloato4~ “(bl For the oonotruotlai, in oooperutloa with
the Frdrrcrl Ooraramoat to tho extant of Tedem aid to the l tateo, of hlghwap of durable type of the graetoot public neoeoolt~.* ia olrar, theretoro, that cooperation rith
~edaral Oorarnznent in the ooaatruotIon of highway8 to the extent of Fe4eral aid to the Stutao, by pour department, la eopaolall~ made the buolaaso of your departmat, l nd attan- daooa upon meeting8 ho14 for the purpooa of oftooting l ueh the performance 8 sort of the 8t4te'o oooperatlon busineoa eoorAtt.ed by law to your department.
A ziore serious qusotlan rlnaa, hovievar, la oonaea- tlon with the matter of ?apent of traraling expenoeo la- curred attendlna ruoh meeting. Thlo lo by roaoon o? tha hot that Senate 3111 487, Aota of the 46th Leglolaturo, ha8 expraoolt prohibited the payment of trovellng oxpenoea la- curred In going to snp t:?pe OS convention within the l tato or v.Athout the atate,
In o’tr opinion No. O-1737, WI construed the term ao used In Senate 9111 427, as iollowo: *oonvcation-, *fir are impelled, ther3?orr, oonclu- olon that the Ls~lolature UOO6 the Wrd 'OoOven- tits' Ito eopsclol or populer,r&her t&an lta brood, lgnifioance, oonveyin& the Idea, gon- eraly, of !iy neetlag of nanbera or dalegate of a private organization, pattr’, olub, ooolety, for the ooompllahmant of rem8 or the llkr, oo-aon objoot.' In tblo opinion ue golntod out that it oould not have been Intrnded by the Legislature that the rootrIotlon ajalnot paying trarel.Ing. sxpenoeo to oonvcatIono ohould pplr to authorized meetlngo or1184 kp agmoica gore,ra- u.,pO.to for the purpooo OS o ooompllahiag function@' govrrnmrnt impoasd upon thorn, and that to apply oGoh a conotruction v0Ul.d be to impute to the Legialsture on Intent to parelse by In4irectloa the admlnlatrotlon of the very ‘1 *3 Eonombta bra47 2. Oantry, Fnga 3 f?alro gorornmont ?or whIoh pproprlatlona were nude at
length in Ssncta 5111 4E7 o? the 46th Leglalatura,
Whether 70~ WY ba relmbumed tar expaaooa lnourrad in atten4anoo upon the meeting 4aoorlba4, thrreiorr, drpenda upon whether ouch a meeting ia a *convantloaW wlthln or Senate Bill 437. This, turn, dopenda upon a WNfll aotr rz nation of the question whether thr meeting lo cne of the members or delegate8 o? a prlrata orgaalautloa.
Sn this connaotlon, wa are l 4Tlaa6 by your Mr. Green that the kavlcan Aaooolation o? Stnte iilghvay Ortl- 01410 was orgaolzr4 rpore than 20 ysaro a 0. Illr. Croon ed- vlaeo us that the occasion for the orgn tatlon o? the f Association waa a rrqueat ty the offloIalo or tha Public Koado A4inInIatmtIon o? the Federal OovirnJzent that such an organlxatloa ??ected as lnotrumctallty 2romotlon of airectlro cooptration between the state8 an4 governxmto in rsopaot to the oonotruotlon of highways. This otsteaent o? the Origin o? the Aoooolatlon an4 the pagore be acoozpllahed by it la cokroborated In your lettar of January 26, 1940, to thlo deprtzxnt, a por- tion o? which la quote4 In our opinion No. O-1903, so f ollowo:
*The namberohlp of the Aserlaen Aseoclation or Stats EIi+‘.*ay OfrIcialo 1s cm2080a rsprr- ae.~tstIveo of the Public Roads Adainlotratlon all or the Highway tspartnento o? tbe otat.no and the United States. The 4000010- territories or tioa is recognized by the Public Roads A&mlalo- tratlon aa the pollor-forairy organlrltlon in netters of a4nlnlotr4tion, accounting, dealgn, conotructIon, n;atarialo taatlng, mIntan4noa, u&hods an4 proooCure, and 3uch pollclea and pro- c?dures as are set forth and ado?trd by the Asoocletlon ara Incorporated in the standard@, roqalremanto an4 reports req,llred by the Fubllc Roada Administration of the State Hl6hway Do- Aooo- partmtnto. The rxeoutlv4 oommltteo elation haa full authority review the United Stats0 numbera rondo oys tm tha numbering thereo?, and to makr 844ItIono, and arkIn *4 Bonorablo Srady P. Oentry, Paz-., 4
ohangor , rsrlrlonr , xten8lon8, or reduction8 In raid road 8yrtus, and to ntiar thr mark- ing prorcrlb8d ior ruoh ro8d8. . . .”
It not t0 be qU88tiOll8d that the m8!Uber8 Of at th8 r8qU88t Of the ?UbliC RO8d8 your dOptWtS8IIt might, I(dm1nirtratiOn Of the United stat88, %8hln&On, 3888JIble 0. C., or 8on8 other p&S, with rimilar ropr88mtatitr8 rrom othsr 8t8tO8, r0r a j.olnt dl8ous81on 0r tho Qetbod8 of OOOjWat1oA between the 8tatO and f8d8IWi 868llOiO8 with highW8y8. Thi8 would not thr ooartruction rO8peOt be a conv8ntlon, brcause 1t would mt b8 a Sl88ting or private organization. If, this mesting, it should be decided thnt the bu8lnesc of the maetln~ might be .aoro ex~edltlou8ly handled by organizing the oonrerenoe, 8lect- i4 orrioere, and 88hCtiG& OCtitt888, there would 8tll). br no oonvention, ior the mason that, though there would be an organization, that orsanlzation would r,ot be private in oharactcr, appe3r8 to U3, and we hold, that thi8 18 rubotantlally what ha8 been done in effeCti% the Or- gaoizatlcn known sa the American isroolatlon oi Stat8 Elghway orrlclalr. Considering blstory oi the or@ml%atlon of the h88OC1atlO!l. and ths >ur>Ose8 IOr whloh It ~36 omanlzed, nature of Its ~UI~tlbIZ8 snd Its relation the ai-ercy, -ye ore of the o~lnlon thnt it 1s not "a or.~snizotIon*, but, on the contrary, has been vested privets with an 0frioiai charsoter.
You sre therefore advised that the traveling ex- penee8 im?urred in attcrdiq the Voting Of tin18 organization will be eligible ror payzent out of the appropriation8 made to your depcrtmnt b.- thr Leg18laturo for traveling erprn8so.
Ycurs very truly / APPROVED Au6 31, 1940 OF TEXAS