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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Texas Health and Human Services Inspector General |
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Sylvia Hernandez Kauffman has demonstrated a long-standing |
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commitment to her fellow citizens over the course of her notable |
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career in public service; and |
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WHEREAS, Sylvia Kauffman first joined the Office of Inspector |
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General in 2015 after working for the Health and Human Services |
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Commission, and she previously served OIG as principal deputy |
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inspector general and deputy inspector general for data and |
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technology; she was appointed to her current position as inspector |
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general for Texas Health and Human Services by Governor Greg Abbott |
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in January 2018; and |
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WHEREAS, Among her many responsibilities, Inspector General |
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Kauffman oversees the vision, direction, strategy, and day-to-day |
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operations of the 500-person office, which is charged with |
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protecting the integrity of HHS programs and with preventing, |
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detecting, and deterring fraud, waste, and abuse in the delivery of |
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health and human services in the state; throughout her exemplary |
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tenure, she has placed a significant emphasis on the use of data |
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analytics, and as a result, recoveries have steadily increased |
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despite a reduction in overall staff; in the 2022 fiscal year alone, |
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the agency recovered nearly half a billion dollars and demonstrated |
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a return of $6.21 for every dollar invested; in total, the OIG has |
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recovered more than $2 billion for Texas taxpayers under her able |
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leadership; and |
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WHEREAS, Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, Inspector |
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General Kauffman was the valedictorian of her high school and a |
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first-generation college student; she holds a bachelor's degree in |
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computer science from Stanford University and a master's degree in |
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public policy from Harvard University; earlier in her career, she |
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was employed by the Strategic Planning Unit in the Information |
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Technology Division of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where she |
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received the Governor's Special Achievement Award for her work in |
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transforming the delivery of government services; and |
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WHEREAS, Through her skill, professionalism, and commitment |
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to excellence, Sylvia Kauffman has greatly benefited the people of |
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the Lone Star State, and she may indeed reflect with pride on her |
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outstanding record of service; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature |
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hereby honor Sylvia Hernandez Kauffman for her professional |
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accomplishments and extend to her sincere best wishes for continued |
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success; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Inspector General Kauffman as an expression of high |
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regard by the Texas Senate. |