Texas Comptroller Don Huffines has issued an executive order barring entities with financial participation from certain convicted human-trafficking offenders from receiving contracts or grants administered by his office. The requirements apply to future contracts and grants.
Under the order, contractors and grant recipients must certify that no person with financial participation in their organization has been convicted within the past five years of an offense related to the direct support or promotion of human trafficking. The comptroller's office said a Texas law already bars state agencies from awarding contracts involving such individuals, but that prohibition does not extend to grants. The order also lets the office withhold payment or end an agreement immediately if a certification is inaccurate.
Huffines said Texans should not have to worry that their tax dollars support criminals who exploit women, children or any vulnerable person. The order follows three other October orders on comptroller-administered funding, covering license plate readers, diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and businesses that require COVID-19 vaccine passports. The agency said additional contract and grant requirements will be announced in the coming weeks.