Profiles in Government: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

Before Texas was a state and it was called the Republic of Texas, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA) was created to account for debts and pay as money was available.

The comptroller became an elected position and is authorized under Article V, Section 23, of the Texas Constitution of 1845. The comptroller, Glenn Hegar, serves as “chief tax collector, accountant, revenue estimator, treasurer and purchasing manager,” according to the agency’s most recent strategic plan.
In essence, the comptroller is a chief financial officer who impacts some 28.7 million Texans, whether they are business owners, government officials or everyday citizens.

The CPA apprises the legislature of how much money is available in each budget cycle. Hegar said during a webinar about reporting the Biennial Revenue Estimate (BRE) that state budget estimators began working in October to crunch the numbers and data to determine the amount.

The BRE, released in January, “shows the state is projected to have a record $188.2 billion in revenue available for general-purpose spending during the 2024-25 biennium, a 26.3 percent increase from 2022-23,” according to the release.

The CPA not only reports money available to the Legislature, but the office must also make its own formal budget request each year to the Legislative Budget Board for items including technology and IT spending. They are seeking a $664.9 million budget for 2024-25.

This includes funding to support multiple goals, according to its budget appropriations request, including:

• “A statewide procurement system that ensures the state receives quality, cost-effective goods and services and maximizes competition while facilitating business opportunities for Historically Underutilized Businesses."
• “Continue deployment of the Centralized Accounting and Payroll/Personnel System (CAPPS). An estimated 92 percent of all state of Texas spending (excluding institutions of higher education) will be processed by CAPPS. In addition, an estimated 75 percent of state employee records, with the exception of higher education, will be administered by CAPPS.”

AGENCY FACTS

Budget: Estimated at $338 million overall, with a $12.7 million IT budget, according to Industry Navigator.*

Leadership: Glenn Hegar is the State Comptroller of Public Accounts and is an elected official. Jay Waldo is the chief information officer.

Staff: As of March 2022, the CPA employed 2,490 full-time equivalent state employees.

*Industry Navigator is a product of e.Republic, which also produces Industry Insider — Texas.