In its ongoing pursuit of optimizing government operations and efficiency, the Texas Senate has passed Senate Bill 14, titled the Regulatory Reform and Efficiency Act, to create the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office (TREO).
The bill will now move into the Texas House, where it will be heard in committee before it can be debated on the floor. The office would be the Texas version of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
If passed into law, TREO would become a function of the governor’s office to refine the state’s regulatory process. The legislation intends to cut through red tape to ultimately save taxpayers and businesses money. This would include identifying and removing outdated, redundant and burdensome regulations and rules.
Texas’ efforts to implement comprehensive regulatory reform would prioritize transparency, increase efficiency in how state agencies adopt rules, improve public access to regulatory information and pursue opportunities that protect the public by removing or amending rules.
As part of TREO’s establishment, an advisory panel would be formed to collaborate with the governor to streamline state operations and processes. The panel would be composed of regulated business owners, researchers, state agencies and the public. Panel members would serve two-year terms.
The office would be responsible for developing public resources to enhance transparency, including a Regulatory Economic Analysis Manual. The manual would be written in plain language, identifying and detailing best practices for state agencies to:
- Prepare local employment impact statements.
- Conduct regulatory analyses.
- Prepare fiscal notes.
- Develop notes covering public benefits and costs.
A Regulatory Reduction Guide would also be created in plain language to assist state agency efforts to achieve and document regulatory reform goals. In addition, the office would establish a Rulemaking and Regulatory Efficiency Forum, enabling interested parties to help the office and panel to accomplish their goals.
The bill would require TREO to collaborate with the secretary of state and the Department of Information Resources (DIR) to create a centralized, searchable online portal as part of the state’s transparency and accessibility efforts. The portal would make it easier for the public to learn about state regulations, rules, forms and filings.
SB 14’s effective date would be either upon passage or Sept. 1, 2025.
(Photo courtesy of Tim Wilson.)
