Senate Bill 14 establishes the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office to identify and reduce burdensome state rules and improve agency transparency, officials say.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law on April 23 a sweeping regulatory reform measure known as the Regulatory Reform and Efficiency Act, aimed at streamlining government processes and reducing the regulatory burden on businesses and residents.
Senate Bill 14 creates the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office within the Office of the Governor and has been characterized as the Texas version of the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) created by President Donald Trump and led by businessman Elon Musk.
The new office is tasked with identifying outdated or duplicative rules, assisting state agencies in simplifying regulatory procedures, and establishing public access to rulemaking processes through a centralized online portal.
“We are putting at the forefront of legislation the shaping, formation, and recalibration of government in the State of Texas to make it more responsive and more efficient,” Abbott said in a statement. “We in Texas will now have our own DOGE, known as the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office. This law will slash regulations, put stricter standards on new regulations that could be costly to businesses, and put a check on the growth of the administrative state.”
The governor added that the office would make the government more efficient and less costly and that the state would operate “at the speed of business.”
The bill also establishes a Texas Regulatory Efficiency Advisory Panel composed of members of the business community, academia, and regulatory law to support the office’s mission. The new office will produce regulatory analysis manuals and reduction guides, and coordinate with other state entities to improve transparency and consistency.
Abbott said the measure is important for the state’s economic health and limiting regulations.
“Texas has won the national championship for economic development for 13 years in a row—business could not be doing better,” Abbott said in remarks while signing the bill. “With one exception. Among the CEOs that I talked to every single week, there were growing concerns that were repeated time and again. The regulatory environment in Texas is getting too burdensome.”
By Chase Smith
