Texas House panel launches inquiry into state contracts
A Texas House committee has launched an inquiry into contracting practices at 11 state agencies, the latest indication of widening concern among lawmakers following a contract scandal at the Health and Human Services Commission.
State Rep. John Kuemple, R- Seguin, announced on Monday that the Committee on General Investigating and Ethics will ask agencies to provide details about how they follow — or don’t follow — competitive bidding requirements by April 27.
“The House is going find out how pervasive these irregularities are,” Kuemple said in a statement. “We cannot sit here and just hope that the (Health and Human Services Commission) is the only agency with contracting problems. We need to identify the other problems, understand why they occurred and prevent them from happening again.”
Kuempel’s call for answers comes in the wake of several bills, including an omnibus contracting reform bill filed by Flower Mound Republican Sen. Jane Nelson, designed to address weaknesses and conflicts in the state’s vast and fragmented purchasing system.
Read more: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional/texas-house-panel-launches-inquiry-into-state-cont/nkyfP/
