Vol 31, Issue 36 Print Issue

The Week in the Rearview Mirror

A damning state audit released Thursday found the Texas Enterprise Fund — an economic incentive program long championed by Gov. Rick Perry — was riddled with weak oversight policies. One finding was that $170 million was awarded to recipients that never formally applied for the funds.

Perry's legal team asked for the governor to be excused from all future non-evidentiary hearings in advance of his trial on felony charges related to his veto of funding for the Public Integrity Unit. An Oct. 13 hearing conflicts with a Perry speaking engagement the next day in England. The special prosecutor in the case, Michael McCrum, opposed the request.

The head of the Public Integrity Unit confirmed that an investigation of GOP attorney general nominee Ken Paxton would not proceed until after the November elections. The complaint filed against Paxton keys off his being disciplined by the Texas State Securities Board for failing to register as a solicitor for a financial services firm.

Political People and their Moves

Alferma Giles of Sugar Land and Manda Hall of Austin were appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to the Early Childhood Intervention Advisory Committee. Giles' term expires Feb. 1, 2017, and Hall's term expires Feb. 1, 2015.

Stan Cromartie of League City and Lamont Meaux of Stowell were reappointed by Perry to the Gulf Coast Waste Disposal Authority Board of Directors for terms to expire Aug. 31, 2016.

Texas AFL-CIO President Becky Moeller will not seek re-election. She will have served eight years at the helm of the organization when her current term concludes in July 2015.

Jim Grace has hired on with the government law and policy practice at Greenberg Traurig, LLP. He previously headed the Texas government relations practice at Baker Botts LLP. He was also previously chairman of the Greater Houston Partnership’s Government Relations Advisory Committee.

Disclosure: Greenberg Traurig, LLP was in 2010 a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Texas Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.