Nearly $222 million given by Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s job-creating fund was given to those who never applied.
A new independent audit shows the Texas Enterprise Fund gave away nearly half of its $500 million “without a set evaluation process of a consistent criteria,” the Dallas Morning News reported.
The money went to companies or universities alike that never submitted a formal application, some promising projects that would never create a single job — something the legislation that created the fund required.
Perry’s office acknowledged that since the fund’s creation in 2003, weak controls have been in place, but the auditor’s recommendations have since been implemented.
“This audit confirms that funds awarded through the program have been allocated in accordance with state law,” Perry spokesman Felix Browne said.
The audit listed Sematech ($40 million) and the University of Texas at Dallas ($50 million in a deal requested by Dallas-based Texas Instruments) as having received large grants without filling out an application or promising new jobs.
Over the past 10 years, the fund has given grants of $505 million to 115 entities, credited with creating more than 48,000 jobs, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Perry is eyeing a 2016 presidential run, but he is currently sixth among the potential GOP field, according to a RealClearPolitics average of polls.
