Recent Texas Attorney General Opinions and Ethics Advisory Opinions of Interest to Cities

Note:  Included opinions are from May 12, 2017 through June 10, 2017. 

Opinion No. KP-0150 (Municipal Court): The attorney general is not aware of any statute requiring municipal courts to report to the Texas Department of Public Safety juvenile convictions for the misdemeanor offense of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Opinion No. KP-0149 (Qualified Voters): A court would likely conclude that a qualified voter civilly committed pursuant to Chapter 841 of the Health and Safety Code and residing at the Texas Civil Commitment Center is eligible to vote by mail under Subsection 82.002(a) of the Election Code.

Tex. Ethics Comm’n Op. No. 543 (Gifts and Honoraria): Based on the facts described in the opinion, the executive director of a state agency would not receive an “honorarium” for purposes of Section 36.07(a) of the Penal Code or a “benefit” for purposes of Section 36.08 of the Penal Code by accepting a reimbursement of certain travel expenses that are payable by the state agency. The executive director would not be required to report the reimbursement on a personal financial statement.