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Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock Announces Expiration of Regional MOAs Following HUB Reform

(AUSTIN) — Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock today announced the formal expiration of all regional Memoranda of Agreements (MOAs) associated with the former Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) program. Hancock issued 60-day notices terminating the agreements in December as part of the program’s restructuring to Veteran Heroes United in Business (VetHUB).

“Texas has ended DEI-based preferences in state contracting and replaced them with a program that is fair, focused and constitutional,” Hancock said. “We eliminated race- and sex-based classifications, reduced layers of bureaucracy and placed responsibility for certification within one accountable office. Most importantly, we made service-disabled veterans the focus of this program.”

Under the previous HUB framework, the Comptroller’s office maintained MOAs with outside entities to assist in certifying businesses under race-, ethnicity- and sex-based eligibility categories. Last fall, Hancock restructured the program to eliminate those classifications and ensure compliance with constitutional equal-protection principles. Since the emergency rules took effect, all certifications have been handled directly by the agency.

The expired MOAs include prior agreements with: City of Austin, City of Houston, El Paso Chamber of Commerce, Houston Minority Supplier Development Council, South Central Texas Regional Certification Agency, Tri-County Regional Black Chamber of Commerce, Women’s Business Council Southwest, Golden Triangle Minority Business Council, Southwest Minority Supplier Development Council, and Dallas/Fort Worth Minority Supplier Development Council.

Service-disabled veterans, eligible under the former HUB structure, are now the singular focus of the VetHUB program. At the time of the relaunch, 547 HUB-certified businesses were enrolled exclusively under service-disabled veteran status. The program now serves 1,075 active VetHUB-certified businesses — the highest number of service-disabled veteran status participants in program history.

The expiration of the regional MOAs marks the final step in streamlining the certification process, eliminating duplicative administrative arrangements and ensuring a uniform statewide program administered entirely by the Comptroller's office. Business owners with questions about VetHUB eligibility or certification status may contact VetHUBProgram@cpa.texas.gov.

The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts serves as the chief financial officer — treasurer, check writer, tax collector, procurement officer and revenue estimator — for the world's eighth-largest economy. The agency also administers statewide initiatives, including the Texas Broadband Development Office, State Energy Conservation Office, Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council, Texas college savings plans and more.

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