New Texas law creates state-level DOGE efficiency effort

Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law on Wednesday to create the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office, the state equivalent to the federal Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The new office aims to make the state government more efficient and less intrusive in the daily lives of Texans, according to a Wednesday statement from Abbott's office. The office is focused on cutting unnecessary regulations. The office will also set stricter standards for new regulations and check the growth of the administrative state to cut government costs and increase its speed, Abbott said.

The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, said the measure was drafted with hard-working Texans in mind. So many state rules are outdated and create unnecessary burdens on economic growth, he said. This law will create a stronger Texas long term, he added.

How are people responding? Speaker of the State House Dustin Burrows heartily supported the law and appeared alongside Abbott at the Wednesday ratification. State Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, continued opposing the measure as he had previously on the legislative floor. Harrison took issue with the new $130 million office and argued that it was expanding, not reducing government bureaucracy. This is adding a new agency, therefore creating employees and growing the government, he said.

Will other states start making DOGE a state-level thing? Other states started enacting DOGE-type initiatives:

• New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed an executive order creating a commission on government efficiency in early January before President Donald Trump formally took office.

• Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt enacted a state Oklahoma Division of Government Efficiency with an executive order in early February.

• Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds also signed an early February executive order launching the Iowa DOGE Task Force.

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a similar executive order in February.

Legislators in both Kansas and Missouri also established state Senate Committees on Government Efficiency. State legislators in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina proposed similar legislation aimed at cutting down on government regulations and spending.