Comptroller Huffines Announces New Taxpayer First Project Transparency Tools, Independent Audit for Education Freedom Accounts
(AUSTIN) — Texas Comptroller Don Huffines today announced a Taxpayer First Project initiative to give every Texan an unprecedented view of how Texas Education Freedom Accounts funds are spent while safeguarding the personal data of Texas students and their families. With more than 100,000 students enrolled and more than 100,000 on the waitlist, the demand for education choice is clear.
“Texans deserve transparency to know how their tax dollars are being spent,” Huffines said. “This is another step to ensure Texans know where their hard-earned money is going. It will also empower every Texan to be an alert watchdog over the program so they can report suspicious activity should they encounter it. We must protect the integrity of the program with rigorous financial reporting and a robust commitment to transparency.”
“This will be the first of many easy-to-follow online dashboards we will build on a variety of topics in order to provide maximum transparency to all Texans,” Huffines said. “Nobody should have to depend on big media conglomerates to interpret data through a biased lens. Under my administration, they will have the information at their fingertips to draw their own conclusions.”
The agency will post the new webpage this week on the Comptroller’s website with a first tranche of data. In the coming weeks it will grow into a full dashboard that lets Texans search and visualize program data, with a prominent link to the Comptroller’s Law Enforcement Operations whistleblower portal, where Texans can report suspected fraud directly to the agency’s investigators, anonymously if they choose.
Some of the data points that will be added to website include, but are not limited to:
- Applications Received
- Eligible Applicants
- Funded Accounts (Participants)
- Students on Year 1 Waiting List
- Students with Disabilities
- Participation by Priority Tier
- Students with Disabilities (breakdown)
- Income Distribution
- ISD Participation Heat Map
- Public School Enrollment Impact
The announcement reflects the new direction Huffines has set for the entire agency and every program it administers: Taxpayers first. That means opening the books on how taxpayer dollars are spent and making the information easy for every Texan to find and understand.
Huffines also noted that as part of the top‑to‑bottom performance review of the agency he announced following his swearing‑in this summer, plans for an independent, third‑party audit of the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program began on day one of his administration, and the agency has been working since then to secure the best‑qualified auditor at the best value for Texans.
The audit will be separate from, and in addition to, the regular audit the State Auditor’s Office is performing. Along with the Comptroller’s own internal oversight, that puts three distinct layers of review on the program.
Since launching the Taxpayer First Project in August, Huffines has:
- Signed an executive order to eliminate the unfair tax on Texans’ medical records.
- Signed an executive order to abolish the double tax many Texans were paying when ordering from an online marketplace.
- Launched performance reviews of four school districts with reports to be public by the end of the year.
- Launched the Texas Fraud Investigation and Recovery Strike Team (Texas FIRST) to go on the offensive against government fraud and corruption.
- Launched a whistleblower portal for Texans to report government fraud, corruption, and tax evasion, and expanded fraud reporting access for state employees.
- Enhanced fraud prevention measures across the Comptroller’s office to protect taxpayer funds.
- Barred taxpayer dollars from funding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.
- Signed an executive order banning grant money for Flock cameras and license plate trackers.
- Barred businesses that demand COVID vaccine passports from Comptroller contracts and grants.
- Ended retroactive tax policy changes.
- Expedited tax refunds owed to Texans.
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