Texas Legislature passes bill to create state's own form of DOGE
The Brief
The Texas Senate and House have passed a bill to create a DOGE-style state efficiency office.
The Texas Regulatory Office will look to streamline state regulations and eliminate unnecessary rules.
The bill now goes to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature.
AUSTIN - Texas will likely have its own Department of Government Efficiency soon.
Dig deeper
The Texas House and Senate have both passed Senate Bill 14, which would create a new Texas Regulatory Office. The office aims to streamline state regulations and eliminate unnecessary rules.
An advisory panel would be created to work with the governor to streamline processes. The panel would be made up of regulated business owners, researchers, state agencies and the public.
The bill also looks to establish an easily accessible online portal for the public to look up state regulations.
SB 14 was written by Weatherford Republican Phil King and backed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
"I prioritized SB 14 because President Trump's creation of the 'Department of Government Efficiency' inspired me to find ways Texas can save taxpayers and businesses money by cutting burdensome regulations," Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said previously.
The bill passed the Texas House by a 97-51 vote and the Senate 26-5.
What's next
The bill was sent to Governor Greg Abbott's desk on April 14, 2025, to be signed into law.
The governor has not publicly stated if he plans to sign the bill.
If approved, the bill would take effect on September 1, 2025.
The House has already created a committee to analyze efficiencies in the state's government.
The committee was established to look into claims of fraud, waste and abuse of state programs and "recommend appropriate legislation" or other ways to eliminate what they believe is fraud or waste and "promote the modernization and economically efficient administration of those programs and operations."
Members monitor the Department of Information Resources, the Sunset Advisory Commission and the Texas Space Commission.
The committee met for the first time on March 5 and focused on the state's IT department, the newly formed Space Commission, and the Sunset Advisory Commission.
The Source
Information in this article comes from the Texas Legislature, SB 14, comments made by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and past FOX 26 coverage.
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