AUSTIN—Mike Collier said Tuesday that he’s the candidate to reform and “end corruption” at the state’s comptroller office by enforcing checks and balances in the agency.
He used incentive programs such as the Texas Enterprise Fund and the Major Events Trust Fund to highlight his plans, which include the return of an independent audit division in the office and stripping the agency of its management of certain incentive programs.
Republican candidate Glenn Hegar has said he also supports returning the audit review to the comptroller’s office.
Recent independent reports revealed both funds had been abused by top executive offices in the state.
“When you have these sorts of things happen in the corporate world, people get fired…and you reform and re-engineer,” Collier, an accountant, said.
“We’re going to go in there and reform it, shake it up and design systems and processes…to make sure that when money leaves the state it’s legal and properly authorized,” he said.
Last month, the first independent audit of the Texas Enterprise Fund found that the governor’s office awarded $222 million for job creation to companies that never submitted applications or promises to create jobs. The state auditor report—commissioned by the Legislature—came more than a decade after the fund’s creation.
“Who is our financial watchdog in Texas if we’re just now finding out about this?” he said.
The Texas Performance Review team needs to return to the comptroller’s office in order to investigate such funds in a manner that is not at the whim of the Legislature, Collier said, adding that the Legislature is too persuaded by politics.
Texas Performance Review, which Collier said would be renamed to the Texas Accountability Team, began in 1991 under the John Sharp administration in order to audit agencies and eliminate waste in government. In 2003, the Legislature moved the responsibility to the Legislative Budget Board.
Throughout his campaign and again Tuesday, Collier called for the division to be reinstated in the comptroller’s office.
“There really needs to be an independent, roving team that can go in and inspect these things and not wait to be directed by the Texas Legislature,” he said at a press conference in Austin.
Sen. Glenn Hegar, the Republican nominee in the race, voted in favor of moving the Texas Performance Review to the LBB, but has said he supports moving it back to the comptroller’s office.
Collier also suggested moving the Major Events Trust Fund outside of the office to avoid conflicts of interest. The comptroller should revamp its accounts payable system to ensure that “T’s are crossed and I’s are dotted” on applications and the office of the attorney general should periodically audit the comptroller’s office, he said.
Early voting runs from Oct. 20 to Oct. 31. The election is Nov. 4.