Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock will step down from his post as Texas' chief financial officer at the end of July, according to a resignation letter he submitted to Gov. Greg Abbott Wednesday.
Hancock's departure notice, first reported by Texas Bullpen and confirmed by Abbott, comes one year to the day after he took over the agency. He was chosen by the governor after the previous comptroller, Glenn Hegar, stepped down to become the chancellor of the Texas A&M University System.
Hancock oversaw the beginning of the state's $1 billion program to offer parents vouchers to send their kids to private schools, one of the agency's biggest and newest responsibilities.
"Kelly led the Comptroller's office during a pivotal chapter for Texas," Abbott wrote on social media. "His leadership and experience, from the local school board to the Texas Legislature, helped make possible the launch of the largest school choice program in our nation's history, expanding educational opportunity for Texas families."
In his resignation letter, Hancock touted the rollout of the voucher program, known as Texas Education Freedom Accounts, that is already sending funds to parents as of Wednesday, he said. Noting that the law creating the initiative took effect last September — less than a year ago — Hancock said the implementation reflected the approach he applied across the office to streamline procedures and move "at the speed of business rather than the speed of bureaucracy."
Hancock, a Republican from North Richland Hills, ran to serve a full term as comptroller but lost his primary to Don Huffines, a former Senate colleague and ultraconservative businessman from Dallas. Hancock said he was confident the agency "will continue serving Texans effectively and maintain continuity for the work already underway," and that Huffines "will build on the work."
Huffines will face Democratic state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt of Austin in the general election.
The resignation will mark a departure from public office for Hancock, who began his political career as a school board member and served nearly two decades in the Legislature, first in the state House and later as senator representing a North Texas district covering parts of Tarrant County.
Hancock's exit from the Texas Senate created a vacancy that led to a special election won by a Democrat to represent his ruby red district, which President Donald Trump had won by more than 17 points. The stunning upset generated national buzz, as Democrats saw it as early evidence that voters who supported the president in 2024 would swing back to them in this fall's midterm elections.
Among the contests in November will be the one to replace Hancock as comptroller, a role responsible for managing the state's money, collecting taxes and estimating state revenue — a crucial figure that guides that Legislature's budget drafting every two years.
The state of Texas operates a $337 billion budget and earns more than a quarter trillion dollars of revenue.
Disclosure: Texas A&M University System has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.
Copyright 2026 KERA News