What happened: The Texas House last week passed two major priorities of the House Committee on Government Efficiency and Reform (DOGE): SB 14 and HB 12.

Remind me: Texas is the fifth most regulated state in the nation, with over 274,000 restrictions as of 2023. 

• In February, Jeff Rose, former Chief Justice of the Third Court of Appeals, wrote an op-ed calling for meaningful regulatory reform in Texas.

Tell me more: SB 14 creates a Regulatory Efficiency Office to streamline agency rules, requires plain language in all regulations, ensures agencies don’t have an unfair advantage in court and establishes a user-friendly public website. It passed the House 97-51, with one member present not voting on April 9, and is now on the Governor’s desk.

• HB 12 enhances the Sunset review process by adding efficiency audits and tying regulations to agency deliverables. It passed the House 149-0 on April 8 and was referred to the Senate Business & Commerce Committee on April 14.

TLR Thoughts: Texas’s excessive regulatory framework threatens its economic competitiveness, especially for small businesses and consumers, which is why TLR is part of the Coalition for Regulatory Efficiency and Reform (CRER). Texas is the best place for business. Overly burdensome licensing regulations shouldn’t get in the way.