AUSTIN (KXAN) \u2013 A memoranda of agreement (MOA) between the Texas Comptroller\u2019s office and the city of Austin ended Thursday, cutting off the city\u2019s ability to certify business under the state\u2019s Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) framework.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe eliminated race- and sex-based classifications, reduced layers of bureaucracy and placed responsibility for certification within one accountable office. Most importantly, we made service-disabled veterans the focus of this program,\u201d Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock said in a Thursday press release.<\/p>\n
In Dec. 2025, Hancock announced his office would freeze and overhaul the program. Now VetHUB, the program no longer uses qualifications based on sex, race and ethnicity and instead focuses solely on service-disabled veterans.<\/p>\n
When the program was frozen due to constitutional concerns<\/a>, the Comptroller\u2019s office took over certifying business under VetHUB. A 60-day notice of termination was issued after the program ended, according to the Texas Comptroller\u2019s Office press release.<\/p>\n Texas Comptroller removes minority and women-owned businesses from HUB program <\/a><\/p>\n The VetHUB program intends to facilitate increased contracts and subcontracts between state agencies and businesses that are majority owned and operated by service-disabled veterans, according to the Texas Comptroller website<\/a>.<\/p>\n The city of Austin still offers Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE\/WBE) certifications, which \u201cprovides greater exposure for work opportunities on City of Austin projects,\u201d according to the City of Austin Certification Division<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n