Exclusive: State privatization champion gets contract to help clear up welfare mess

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By ROBERT T. GARRETT / The Dallas Morning News
[e-mail]

AUSTIN – A former state official who played a major role in the state's biggest privatization fiasco is now making money trying to help Texas fix the problems that resulted.

Gregg Phillips was the state's No. 2 social services official several years ago, and he led a push to hire a private company to evaluate applications for public assistance.

Now his Austin-based company, AutoGov Inc., has received $207,500 since November to help the state eliminate errors in deciding whether an applicant gets food stamps or other aid and how much recipients get. AutoGov was hired without other companies having a chance to bid for the work.

Health and Human Services Commission spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman said that the agency's commissioner, Tom Suehs, and his predecessor, Albert Hawkins, agreed that the company's software might alleviate the problem.


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http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/031410dntexprivatization.42c97d3.html

[sonias]

1. Sorry I didn't see this thread earlier

I basically created a dupe thread of this today. My apologies white cloud. You had the first post.

:kick:

[white cloud]

2. No problem. He needs kicking with both feet anyways.