Anyone seeking a contract or grant from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts will now have to certify that no one with a financial stake in their organization has been convicted of a human trafficking offense in the past five years, under an executive order Comptroller Don Huffines announced Thursday.
Texas law already forbids state agencies to award a contract, or accept a bid, when someone with a financial stake in the bidder was convicted within the past five years of an offense tied to directly supporting or promoting human trafficking. That rule, in Government Code Section 2155.0061, covers contracts but not grants, according to the comptroller's office.
Huffines' order writes the same eligibility test into every grant the office administers as well.
What contractors and grantees must sign
Under the order, each contractor and grantee must:
- certify eligibility under Section 2155.0061, that is, that nobody holding a financial stake in the organization has such a conviction from the last five years;
- accept that the office can hold back payment when a certification proves false; and
- accept that the office can end the agreement at once, with no further obligation, in that case.
The requirements apply to future contracts and grants. The agency says it will add the certification to its solicitations and agreements going forward.
