Texas Comptroller, the State Bureaucrat Who Can Grind Budgets to a Halt

The Texas Legislature writes the state budget. The Governor signs it into law. But with a single action the Texas Comptroller can kill the entire appropriations process.

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Despite heated primary campaigning to the contrary, the office has nothing to do with abortion legislation or gun rights. The simple answer: The office deals with the state's money.

Former state representative and budget writer Talmadge Heflin knows a thing or two about the comptroller’s office. He’s calls the comptroller the chief financial officer of the state.

Obviously, watching the state's bank account is a big part of it. That includes the same kind of accounts receivables/accounts payables operations you'd find at a large corporation. "Tax collector is one of the major duties of the comptroller's office," Heflin says. "And then also policing that collection. If people are not paying their taxes they actually have police power."

And then there's the role the office plays in spending that money. The comptroller doesn't write bills, or usually lobby for or against legislation. Rather, by just talking about what a bill costs, the comptroller can have a dramatic effect on what gets passed – and what doesn’t.

More at http://kut.org/post/texas-comptroller-state-bureaucrat-who-can-grind-budgets-halt .