Officials say overhaul unrelated to controversial lobbying contract
In a shake-up billed as a reorganization, the Texas Lottery Commission eliminated 33 jobs Thursday, saying it will save $296,000 annually in salaries.
Though the commission came under fire earlier this year for agreeing to pay a Las Vegas law firm up to $250,000 to draft laws to expand gambling, it said Thursday that the layoffs are in no way connected to that expense.
Employees throughout the commission were affected by the cutback, which will eliminate the jobs in 90 days, confirmed commission spokesman Bobby Heith.
Heith insisted the cut is "totally unrelated" to the contract with the Las Vegas law firm Lionel, Sawyer and Collins, hired last summer to draft proposed video-gaming laws forTexas.
The contract was signed by the Attorney General's Office, but the Lottery Commission agreed to foot the bill, Heith said.
"I think it was a joint decision between the Lottery Commission and the Attorney General's Office. Between the two agencies, we decided weneeded outside counsel," he said.
Heith said the cut "pertains to the day-to-day activities of running the Lottery Commission" while the law firm's bill "relates to our role as a resource to the Legislature" on legalizing more gambling options to pay for education.
Lottery Executive Director Reagan Greer testified in June that he had instructed the law firm, at the suggestion of Gov. Rick Perry's office, to subcontract with gaming-industry expert William Watson, which it did.
Watson is a friend of House Public Education Committee Chairman Kent Grusendorf, R-Arlington.
The idea was to draft a bill allowing video-lottery machines, which function like slot machines, to help pay for school finance changes.
The measure didn'tpass.
The latest cuts will fall throughout the organization, including the areas of marketing, legal, information technology, lottery operations and security, Heith said.
Employees set to lose their jobs by Feb. 17 will get preferential treatment for any openings, assuming they are qualified for them, he added.
"It was just a reorganization of the agency," he said. "From time to time you look at if you're using your resources efficiently."
good! maybe a few of these people will open their mouths and snicth off the scam.
I hope their severance isn't paid to them in the form of scratch tickets...
Maybe Mega Millions with Megaplier.