ATTORNEY GENERAL
Under provisions set out in the Texas Constitution, the Texas Government Code, 
Title 4,  402.042 and numerous statutes, the attorney general is authorized to 
write advisory opinions for state and local officials. These advisory opinions 
are requested by agencies or officials when they are confronted with unique or 
unusually difficult legal questions. The attorney general also determines, under 
authority of the Texas Open Records Act, whether information requested for 
release from governmental agencies may be held from public disclosure. Requests 
for opinions, opinions, and open record decisions are summarized for publication 
in the Texas Register. The Attorney General responds to many requests for 
opinions and open records decisions with letter opinions. A letter opinion has 
the same force and effect as a formal Attorney General Opinion, and represents 
the opinion of the Attorney General unless and until it is modified or overruled 
by a subsequent letter opinion, a formal Attorney General Opinion, or a decision 
of a court of record. To request copies of opinions, phone (512) 462-0011. To 
inquire about pending requests for opinions, phone (512) 463-2110.

Open Records Decision

ORD-#657. Request from Ms. Judy Ponder, General
 Counsel, General Services Commission, P.O. Box 13047, Austin, Texas 78711-3047,
regarding whether telephone records of the Texas Supreme Court held by the
 General Services Commission are subject to the Texas Open Records Act, 
Government
 Code Chapter 552, and related questions regarding Attorney General Opinion
 JM-446 (1986) (ORQ-23).


SUMMARY. The judiciary exception applies
 only to those records which relate to the exercise of judicial powers. Records
 regarding the expenditure of public funds, including records which directly
 implicate the fiduciary responsibilities of public employees or otherwise
 pertain to the day-to-day routine administration of a court, are subject
 to the Open Records Act. Telephone billing records of the Texas Supreme Court
 are not "records of the judiciary" for purposes of the Open Records Act;
 however, one or more of the act's enumerated exceptions may protect the 
information
 from public disclosure. Attorney General Opinion JM-446 (1986) and Open Records
 Decision Number 535 (1989) are overruled to the extent that they conflict
 with this opinion. We affirm Attorney General Opinion JM-446 (1986) to the
 extent that it finds that telephone billing information maintained by the
 General Services Commission in accomplishing its statutory purposes are records
 of the entity served, not the commission. Requests for telephone billing
 records should be directed to the entity on whose behalf the records are
 held.


TRD-9710347



Requests for Opinion

ID-#39612. Request from Mr. Jim Loyd, Director
 of Programming, Texas Health Care Information Council, 4900 North Lamar,
 OOL-3407, Austin, Texas, 78751-2399, regarding reimbursement of transportation
 expenses for a member of the Health Care Information Council.


ID-#39647. Request from The Honorable Homero
 Ramirez, County Attorney, Webb County, P.O. Box 420268, 1110 Victoria, Suite
 403, Laredo, Texas, 78040, regarding conflict of interest provisions applicable
 to the award of a depository contract by a county.


ID-#39652. Request from The Honorable Ben
 W. *Bud* Childers, County Attorney, Fort Bend County, 301 Jackson, Suite
 621, Richmond, Texas, 77469-3506, regarding whether an elected county official
 may inscribe his name on a county vehicle.


ID-#39656. Request from The Honorable Michael
 A. Sheppard, District Attorney, DeWitt County, 307 N. Gonzales, Cuero, Texas,
 77954, regarding authority of a sheriff to sell forfeited vehicles.


ID-#39658. Request from Mr. Tim Curry, Criminal
 District Attorney, Tarrant County Justice Center, 401 W. Belknap Street,
 Fort Worth, Texas, 76196-0201, regarding whether the food service contract
 for a county jail is subject to competitive bidding.


TRD-9710348