Case Information

*1 OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS

AUSTIN

Bon. J.B. idaDonald, Codseioner

Department of A~laxilture

Austin, Texas

opinion Ilo. 042ll Be: Does the Departaien have authority th6 ftelns de

5ent of sa&r166

lauq and these, oeEQal.6onMn- 6 6eneral R6v6xtuO.

tcom Charter Filing P608 Civil Statutes, 1985, 8.4 as per item 55-B of the *2 F Hon. J.E. 36cDonald, hnuaissioner, pa@ 2

the Baboouk Butterfat Lau, and the amaunt of this ccmtingent is #1,500.00.

The next repreeents tees derived through the aduinistratlcm ,a$ Qhapter~304, 3eguLar Sseaion 0r tfie Party-rirm Lagicilatum, the fame being foes oolleated r0r gerniaatlon teats and t&e amount is sarried uiad(p: itera 58-I. Oetieral Ap- propriation Sills the anmuzit is $2,500&O.

"The asxt Xs,funds remsirad through the leas- ing of Jaolcs and Stallions tu,Caretaksra aOOotd- ing.to the prorlsiorrr oi XI& l.2, Pirst Callsd Session of the Horty-fifth'Iagislatum and api pears as Item 64-a la the General Appropriation Bill, and the 8mount ti $1@cL00.

*Please advlse'if the Departr;.ent nil1 havs the aathority to use auy portiona of the ab6V8 items and amounts rotor ths papnrent ot salsr1e6 ror position8 not otherwise -provided for in the dpproprletion Billi"

"Rent, heat, light, postage, telephone,~te;le- graph, printing, supplies and @ontinaes'it,

(un&~arsoor~ oura) Item X5-b read8 as follows: telegraph, *Rent, heat* light, t@qhone, printing 6suuplles

oaring our6) Itqn 64-a iuoludes the follw~t *3 Hon. J.E. WDcmald, Cormaissioner, page 9

*'PostcaSe, printing, freight, telephone, tele- graph ant Contingent." (Underscoring ours)

Thus YO find six itom under (lifferent special rwnca in whrcp the uorda Yin& Contingent9 are u#d. In oii~p~thre# 0r them is the list 0r pw*~er preoedin(t the words .ru:d Contingent" 1tZsntloal. be oall atten- tion to this fact In view or the stete5ent in let- ter of request that 'Uere is lteniized four aaounto under the heaCIng, *Rent, heat, Ifghts, postage, tale- phone, telegraph, printing su?;,lies and Contin&eat, eta.**

It iS to be nctcd that in eaoh of the above in- stances the appropriation is frorl: swcial fundz areated under oertain laws referred to in the itezioed appropr~- ation. Under the heading %U.ntenance and iGaellnneolura there is en appropriation out of the G8naralReven~ue mid 0s the state ior:

Wirniture, rixturez3, postage, printing, ex- press, telephone, selegraph and Contingent of- pllSeS.*~

pie especially want tc call attention to the:raat that there is no speoia3, inhibition kn the Departmnt agaloet~the sn&opnsat oi of Qrictilture Appropriation additional salaried emplo~rees other than those prorided for specirleally.

The General U&r to Senrto Bill 427 oon&&&s~the tolloning Lndtrect authorization ior the emplomrit oi aGtitiona1 employees out 0r co~tlngent appropriations:

R~PI:~ITI~~AL,ELCPLO~'S'C~~SATIO~~. *ha any a&dZtlonal ea. loyeea, other than those Sor LY appropriations have here& whuhish.spc~iti~ sa In been me&e, are fnqloyed and are to be paid out 0r oontlngent a?propriatlons, such enployeas sbfillnotbt3 i-maid alargeramountthanthat

provlcfjd in the regular approprlatted zaZarie8 S0r gimilar positionz in aueh department or ac;enoy, zaqd in she event there are no airmiler positions withln.suoh depertment, then ouah ad- *4 Hon. J.X. EoDo:mld, Oomz&mioner, page 4

ditioaal employee shall not be paid a larger anount than that provided for sia5vlar positions in other departments or agenolea. In the event laborera, akilled laborers, and me&aulcs ORB- not be obtained at the ubove mentioned salary male, then the head oi eriah department may pay tot temporary srzploymant only not exaeed5.q the prevailing wage wale paid in the looallty whem teraporary eervlce is to be rendewd~w

The worda woorAlagent approprlatlon8* would-iu- cluCe contingent money8 out oi special fund8 an well aa moneys out 0r the Gemeral Rerenue Fund.

Opinion HO. O-X532, or t&Is Department, by the Hon. Riahard Vl. Fairohlld, to George EL Shepherd, Caap troller Publio hooounte OS the state OS Tcwu ia dl- rectly in point.

In thfs opir.ion it ie held that: * * * * unless the particular departnent 28 speelally prohibited hem engaging any salaried employees ia addition to those provided spwi- flcel4 by the apptopti8tion for that dopart- merit, a de~tmnt head my use his *aontJngcst* ap mprlation for the smplayment of odUitianal r&r ied help. 'Ehe departaent head ia not m- qulred to obtain the approval of the tlmltation or mq-mentr Board ber0- makIng onoh employlru3nt, r0rth.a Boardhas jurlsdiationonl~~er thr glcyendittwe of ~surplueee* In asrtain spedial tua&s, and not over the expenditure of roontin- gent expense* appzopriaticms. Tb, departimnt head, -ever, will be required to mmber swh salaried poaitiour areated. and paid out of this oontingent fund, as provided in the paragraph ca 'salary payments* in the general rider to the general appropriation bllLw

ThereasQnin ortihc abore opinion istbattae Legislature used t ii e term *aontingent e~patme*~ in the mams of general Items of esptmse got proride& .&a? ep oifically, rather )hm inaidetital or unfi?remas lte?M*

55 Eon. J.lS. MoDonald, Cosurdssioner, page 5

Vie wish to point out certain limitations contained in the generaZ 8nd speafal rider8 of the General Depart- nrental Appropriation BlU, Senate Bill. 487 of the Forty- sixth Legislature upoa the expenditure of oontisgent f Lulus.

In the general ride8 there is a IImitation apon the amouat of the lu8p #um appropriation for aostingsnt expenses rbiah smy be expended during say three month8 period, 8ald provision reading as follme:

~‘?t ia further provided that, durlhg say three 8ohth8 period, no dspartment oan exp8nd more th88 one-fourth of the appropriation 8s.do herein for: 1.. (b) OOAtingQlt expe88e8, . . . protldsd that any unexpended balanoes frO8a prerlour qua&an m8y be expended during subsequent :~arter8.~

In additlos,your attention Is oalled to the prohi- bition against the use OS such oontfagent fund to 8up- pl8ment the moheya pro&I&d rot “traveling exsensem*, as r0md8r

*It is pamricied that 00 mpenditurer 8haU be aade for traveling expenaea by a8y dap8rtPent of this State in exoeas the ammnt of smmay itemized herein SOT said purpoee~~"

I.n the third plaae in the speQiaL rider to the Be- partnrsnt of Agriculture Appropriatloh in Senate Bill 4B7, the expenditure of swneys ,$nCepeolal nind8 is l.%m ited expressly to the oarrylng lout of protisionr, of the aot8 nhioh areated the speaialrimd8 theu8?8lv6& X8 other words, the sio8eya a6aruiu to a rpsaial fond under a oertain law oaoonly be used t or oartying out th8 pso- vi~l~nsor that partioular law a8d eanhot be l6geil4 used for aaomplishihg the purposes of,any other la%

It 18 our opinion that ki the abS88Qe Of any pro- hibition against the hiring or additional aapZoyee8 to those speoifiaally prorlded ~QS in the hepert888t of Agriculture Appropriation u8dar Senate Bill 427, the &ep%rt&nt oi Agricblture ha6 the authoritjtsU8e its rarlous eontinged agpgoprlaticm out of apaalal fuada' *6 Hon. J.E, ScDonald, Cozmlssioner, page 6,

oreated under the various aats, such as those oontln- gent qproprlatlons set forth at the out oet otttrie o~lnlon, for the ezploymnt of additlozal salaried help, but ~that coztlngeati fund under one aot nay not be used for hiring of additional salaried help to aarry out the ;>rovisions of asother eat.

Trusting that the abDva ruirp mswers your ln- quirp, we -8

Yours very truly BY &rsiatant

iStob Encl. (Opinion O-1332)

OwNtON .O APPROVED COMMll-rEL ‘+&zF