The first bill to reach Abbott’s desk this session creates a regulation-cutting state agency under the purview of the governor. It was passed with bipartisan supermajorities.
Flanked by House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott signs his first bill into law this session on April 23, 2025. The bill establishes a DOGE office in state government . Looking on from behind are the bill's sponsor, state Rep.
Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, and its author, state Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford.on Wednesday signed the first law of this year’s legislative session, a bill creating a new regulation-cutting agency inspired by Elon Musk’s federal Department of Government Efficiency. “Texas can have our own DOGE,” Abbott said Wednesday. “What this law is going to do is make government more efficient and less costly.”, which passed both the House and Senate with bipartisan supermajorities, establishes the “Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office” at a cost of $22.8 million over the next five years. “The fewer regulations we have, the more efficient they are, the easier they are to understand — is going to help Texas business and economy continue to boom, which is why I'm excited this is the first bill that is being signed,” Burrows said. With five weeks left in the biennial legislative session, SB 14 is the first bill to reach Abbott’s desk. The Senate and House have each passed other priority measures — including a school voucher program that Patricklast week when he endorsed the House’s proposal — but some, like the budget, differ slightly across chambers and still require final approval before they can go to the governor. The “Big Three” — Abbott, Patrick and Burrows — all touted the bill signing as one of the earliest in recent sessions, which have been bogged down in part by bitter relationships between the governor’s office, Patrick and former House Speaker The “Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office” will be charged with helping other state agencies identify “unnecessary and ineffective rules.” It will also advise agencies on ways to make regulations more effective, streamline the regulatory process, reduce department costs and increase public access to regulatory information. The governor will be responsible for appointing members of the panel, which will be supported by up to 18 full-time staff members. The new law also states that courts in Texas are not required to defer to a state agency’s interpretation of the law in legal challenges of regulations. It follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s, which for 40 years required the court to follow government agencies’ determination of the law when statutes were ambiguous, as long as it was reasonable. The doctrine was a prime target for those looking to roll back the power of federal agencies. SB 14, which was designated a priority bill in the Senate, is part of a broader push by Republican elected officials to continue to make Texas more attractive to businesses and corporations. In 2023, the Legislature created aSome Democrats in opposition to the bill questioned why the new agency was necessary on top of the state’s“The point of DOGE is to cut government, reduce spending and shrink the bureaucracy,” Harrison said on the House floor. “Unfortunately, this bill does the exact opposite.”During the bipartisan committee’s first hearing in March, Capriglione, the panel’s chair, said: “At times, we will use a scalpel, carefully dissecting inefficiencies to make government work smarter. At other times, we will wield a sledgehammer, tearing down systemic waste and corruption that may have gone unchallenged.”, Texas’ breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Get tickets before May 1 and save big! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.Independent Texas reporting needs your support. The Texas Tribune delivers fact-based journalism for Texans, by Texans — and our community of members, the readers who donate, make our work possible. Help us bring you and millions of others in-depth news and information. Will you support our nonprofit newsroom with a donation of any amount?
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