88R20315 AMB-D
By: LaMantia S.R. No. 496
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Texas Health and Human Services Inspector General
Sylvia Hernandez Kauffman has demonstrated a long-standing
commitment to her fellow citizens over the course of her notable
career in public service; and
WHEREAS, Sylvia Kauffman first joined the Office of Inspector
General in 2015 after working for the Health and Human Services
Commission, and she previously served OIG as principal deputy
inspector general and deputy inspector general for data and
technology; she was appointed to her current position as inspector
general for Texas Health and Human Services by Governor Greg Abbott
in January 2018; and
WHEREAS, Among her many responsibilities, Inspector General
Kauffman oversees the vision, direction, strategy, and day-to-day
operations of the 500-person office, which is charged with
protecting the integrity of HHS programs and with preventing,
detecting, and deterring fraud, waste, and abuse in the delivery of
health and human services in the state; throughout her exemplary
tenure, she has placed a significant emphasis on the use of data
analytics, and as a result, recoveries have steadily increased
despite a reduction in overall staff; in the 2022 fiscal year alone,
the agency recovered nearly half a billion dollars and demonstrated
a return of $6.21 for every dollar invested; in total, the OIG has
recovered more than $2 billion for Texas taxpayers under her able
leadership; and
WHEREAS, Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, Inspector
General Kauffman was the valedictorian of her high school and a
first-generation college student; she holds a bachelor's degree in
computer science from Stanford University and a master's degree in
public policy from Harvard University; earlier in her career, she
was employed by the Strategic Planning Unit in the Information
Technology Division of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where she
received the Governor's Special Achievement Award for her work in
transforming the delivery of government services; and
WHEREAS, Through her skill, professionalism, and commitment
to excellence, Sylvia Kauffman has greatly benefited the people of
the Lone Star State, and she may indeed reflect with pride on her
outstanding record of service; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature
hereby honor Sylvia Hernandez Kauffman for her professional
accomplishments and extend to her sincere best wishes for continued
success; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Inspector General Kauffman as an expression of high
regard by the Texas Senate.