Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock has announced the formal expiration of all regional Memoranda of Agreements (MOAs) linked to the former Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) program. The decision follows a restructuring effort that shifts the program’s focus exclusively to service-disabled veterans under the new Veteran Heroes United in Business (VetHUB) initiative.
“Texas has ended DEI-based preferences in state contracting and replaced them with a program that is fair, focused and constitutional,” Hancock said. “We 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.”
Previously, the Comptroller’s office partnered with various outside organizations through MOAs to certify businesses based on race, ethnicity, or sex categories. With the recent changes led by Hancock last fall, these classifications have been removed to align with constitutional equal-protection requirements. All business certifications are now managed directly by the Comptroller’s agency.
The expired agreements involved entities such as the City of Austin, City of Houston, El Paso Chamber of Commerce, Houston Minority Supplier Development Council, South Central Texas Regional Certification Agency, Tri-County Regional Black Chamber of Commerce, Women’s Business Council Southwest, Golden Triangle Minority Business Council, Southwest Minority Supplier Development Council, and Dallas/Fort Worth Minority Supplier Development Council.
Service-disabled veterans were already eligible under the old HUB structure but are now at the center of VetHUB. At relaunch, 547 businesses held HUB certification solely due to their status as service-disabled veterans. That number has grown to 1,075 active VetHUB-certified businesses — a record high for this category.
The end of regional MOAs completes efforts to simplify business certification processes by removing overlapping administrative roles and establishing a single statewide system run by the Comptroller’s office. Business owners seeking information about VetHUB eligibility or certification can contact VetHUBProgram@cpa.texas.gov.
