23-04-2025
'DOGE, Texas style': How new efficiency law is different from DOGE, Sunset Commission
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill Wednesday creating a permanent office dedicated to government efficiency in Texas.
Senate Bill 14, referred to as the Regulatory Reform and Efficiency Act, was passed on April 14 and authorized the creation of the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office.
The newly formed office will be separate from the committee formed in the Texas House of Representatives in February, called the Delivery of Government Efficiency (Texas DOGE) committee.
While the spirit of the DOGE acronym refers broadly to government efficiency, Texas is taking a different approach to streamlining government processes.
While the Federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is defined as a Temporary Service Organization in a presidential executive order, the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office will be a permanent part of the state government.
Meanwhile, the 13-member, bipartisan Texas DOGE committee will continue its broad goal to eliminate waste, fraud and corruption within the state government. It's unclear how the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office and the House's DOGE committee will interact.
As for the goals of the federal and state efforts toward government efficiency, the federal DOGE aims to modernize 'technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.'
The Texas Regulatory Reform and Efficiency Act says the new office will focus on reducing regulations and streamlining the process to establish governing rules within government agencies.
Texas already has an agency dedicated to analyzing the efficiency of government agencies. The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission was established in 1977. Since then, it has saved Texas $1 billion by 'evaluating the need for state agencies and their effectiveness, efficiency, and responsiveness to the public.'
The Sunset Advisory Commission periodically reviews and audits government agencies, and then makes recommendations to the Legislature about changes that need to be made, up to and including abolishing a particular part of the government.
The Sunset process must include state congressional approval before any action is taken.
READ MORE: 'Change is coming': Texas DOGE hosts first meeting
The bill being signed by Abbott on Wednesday empowers the newly formed office to reduce rules, regulations, required trainings and other 'inefficiencies resulting from rules or other regulatory requirements.'
The Texas Regulatory Reform and Efficiency Act does not include a defined relationship between the new Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office and the Sunset Advisory Commission.
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