Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law on Wednesday a sweeping government reform bill aimed at slashing regulations, cutting costs, and improving access to public services through the creation of a new state office modeled after tech mogul Elon Musk’s federal “DOGE” initiative.
The new legislation — Senate Bill 14, dubbed the Regulatory Reform and Efficiency Act — creates the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office, a permanent agency tasked with streamlining how Texans interact with their government. The bill passed with broad bipartisan support in the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature.
Speaking in Austin at the bill-signing ceremony, Abbott said the new office — informally referred to as Texas DOGE — represents “a bold step toward a more nimble, business-friendly state government.”
“Texas DOGE will lead to spending cuts, regulation cuts and a more user-friendly government,” Abbott said. “It will ensure that Texas is operating at the speed of business, and it will make it easier for our fellow Texans to deal with their own state government.”
The new office will serve as a watchdog and advisor to state agencies, helping them identify and eliminate outdated, duplicative, or ineffective rules. It’s also tasked with improving transparency, simplifying forms and filings, and reducing fees, training mandates, and red tape deemed inefficient.
According to a fiscal analysis, the office is expected to cost $22 million over the next five years — a figure supporters argue will be offset by longer-term savings.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick echoed the governor’s sentiment, saying the initiative aligns with Texas’s pro-business philosophy.
“In Texas, we like to keep things simple,” Patrick said. “Texas DOGE will make us more transparent than ever, cut most of the red tape, attract more businesses, create more jobs and save taxpayer money.”
Inspired by a Musk-Led Federal Model
The initiative is part of a growing trend among Republican-led states adopting local versions of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — a federal effort launched under President Trump’s second term and largely influenced by Elon Musk, who was tapped to advise and oversee the program.
More than two dozen states, including Florida, have formed similar regulatory task forces or offices. While some, like Florida’s, are temporary, Texas’s version is designed as a permanent fixture of state government.
Critics Raise Concerns Over Intent, Oversight
Not everyone is on board. Critics, including progressive watchdog groups like the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), have warned that such initiatives may centralize too much power in the hands of governors and their appointees — potentially weakening the role of career public servants and independent agencies.
“Despite the novel branding, these initiatives are part of the longstanding right-wing mission to capture and consolidate government in service of the wealthy,” the EPI argued in a recent report.
Questions also remain about how Texas DOGE will interact with existing state oversight bodies, such as the Sunset Advisory Commission — a 45-year-old agency tasked with evaluating the relevance and efficiency of state agencies. The new law does not define a formal relationship between the new office and the Sunset Commission, which some policy experts say could lead to overlap or confusion.
Adding to the mix is the Texas DOGE Committee, a separate bipartisan House committee formed in February to investigate waste, fraud, and corruption. It's unclear how this committee will work with the newly established executive office.
What Comes Next
The Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office is expected to begin operating later this year. Its first order of business: conducting a comprehensive review of state agency rules and launching a new public-facing portal to make government filings and forms easier to access and navigate.
For now, the office has a clear mission: trim the fat, improve transparency, and bring state government in line with modern business practices.
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