Without authority, Attorney General Ken Paxton declares an ‘agency holiday’ | Watchdog
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaking in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. He has declared a "Sanctity of Life" office holiday that's been criticized because it will cost taxpayers money that was not funded by the Texas Legislature.The one time I’ve seen embattled Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was when I was leaving a luncheon and he was walking in. His face was familiar, but I couldn’t place him. I thought that he’s a Dallas Cowboys assistant coach or something.
Paxton’s office ignored my list of five questions I sent earlier this week. His Democratic opponent in November is civil rights lawyer Rochelle Garza of Brownsville.Randy Pennington, a Carrollton-based expert on leadership and organizational change, contacted The Watchdog about this. He did the math.
“It is the A.G., once again, allowing his personal, political and religious beliefs to influence public policy and expend public funds,” Pennington says.That year, state lawmakers accused him of violating his budget authority when he transferred $40 million of taxpayer money without permission to pay for raises for some members of his staff. He also used the money to hire more lawyers.
Randy Pennington, a Carrollton-based leadership expert, is critical of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's declaration of an agency holiday. He says it's inappropriately funded by taxpayers, not by lawmakers who make the budget and declare holidays.At his scolding back in 2021, Paxton told lawmakers, “I’ve instructed my staff to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”Pennington, who worked in state government for nine years, told me, “We have state holidays, not agency holidays.
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