Tag Archives: Emerging Technology Fund

Another look at Perry’s slush fund

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Like everything with Rick Perry, there’s less to it than meets the eye. Texas Gov. Rick Perry has distributed $205 million in taxpayer money to scores of technology startups using a pet program designed to bring high-paying jobs and innovation … Continue reading →

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One place where a little austerity would do some good

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Perry’s slush funds get no love in the opening budgets. The House and Senate’s initial two-year budgets would force Perry’s deal-closing Texas Enterprise Fund to exhaust its last $7 million and throttle back on state film incentives and subsidies … Continue reading →

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From the “If pigs had wings” department

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s never a bad time to construct a counterfactual. What if Rick Perry had never said, “Oops”? What if he could have, for Christ’s sake, just remembered that he had wanted to gut the Department of Energy? What if he … Continue reading →

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Hey, remember Perry’s Emerging Technology Fund?

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s still a mess, and a cookie jar for his cronies. The founders of Convergen LifeSciences Inc. had invested only $1,000 of their own money when they asked the State of Texas in 2009 to give them $4.5 million to … Continue reading →

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Auditor criticizes Emerging Technology Fund

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The State Auditor has issued a report saying that the Texas Emerging Technology Fund needs more transparency. I know, I’m as shocked as you are. The report recommended that the state’s 17-member advisory board — volunteers from the technology community … Continue reading →

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House votes to spend some Rainy Day funds

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib: House lawmakers preliminarily passed two bills Thursday that together will balance the state’s budget for the remaining months of the fiscal year through a mix of spending cuts and use of the Rainy Day Fund. The cuts … Continue reading →

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Sacrifice is for the little people

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You almost have to admire the gall. Milton Rister, director of administration in Gov. Rick Perry’s office, just asked Senate budget writers for a net increase of $81.5 million in state funds for the next two years. If I took … Continue reading →

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The state of the state

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Is strong, according to Rick Perry. So strong, in fact, that we’re going to kick the legs out of social services, because clearly we don’t need them. When the state faced a budget crisis in 2003, Gov. Rick Perry’s office … Continue reading →

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State auditor to look at Emerging Technology Fund

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

State Auditor John Keel will perform an audit on the state’s Emerging Technology Fund to see if the money is being used and distributed properly. State Auditor John Keel said Wednesday that his office will review the monitoring of the … Continue reading →

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More on Perry’s self-appropriation of Emerging Tech funds

Posted on October 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman moves the ball forward on the Emerging Technology Fund story and Governor Perry’s self-appropriation of its funds. Two points from the story stand out to me. Gov. Rick Perry and the state’s legislative leaders awarded a $4.5 million … Continue reading →

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Perry appropriates Emerging Tech funds on his own

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Procedures? Advisory boards? Who needs ’em? Gov. Rick Perry approved a $4.5 million award from the state’s technology fund to a company founded by a major campaign donor despite the company’s failure to win the endorsement of a regional screening … Continue reading →

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Disclosure for thee, but not for me

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

You don’t need to know. Gov. Rick Perry said [Monday] that he wouldn’t release documents revealing investors in recipients of Texas Emerging Technology Fund recipients. […] The governor’s office is told of investors in the tech fund applicants, a staffer … Continue reading →

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It’s cronies all the way down

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Is there anything Rick Perry does that isn’t for the benefit of himself and his cronies? When Gov. Rick Perry announces that a company will get money from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, he often describes it as an important … Continue reading →

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Perry meddles again

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

All of his shenanigans with the Texas Forensic Science Commission have kept Governor Perry busy lately, but not so busy that he can’t mess with other things, too. Gov. Rick Perry plans to reshuffle the board leadership of the state’s … Continue reading →

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A&M and the Emerging Technology fund

Posted on August 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Loren Steffy tells us about politics infecting research at Texas A&M. And Rick Perry is involved. Shocking, I know. In January, the state awarded A&M $50 million from the Emerging Technology Fund, which purports to benefit private-sector technology startups, for … Continue reading →

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Senate panel approves budget

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, the Lege has one task they absolutely must do every biennium, and that’s pass a budget. The Senate Finance Committee has taken its first step towards doing that. A two-year state budget that accepts federal stimulus money … Continue reading →

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