Latest news with #TexasDOGE
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas named best state for business 21 years running in Chief Executive magazine ranking
Texas is still the top state for business, at least to some of the nation's CEOs. Chief Executive magazine has ranked Texas as the best state for business for the 21st year in a row. The ranking is determined from an annual survey of the nation's leading CEOs. Florida and Tennessee followed Texas respectively, with California ranking last. 'Texas is where entrepreneurs can cast a vision and know they can achieve it," Gov. Greg Abbott said in a Monday announcement. "The successful CEOs I meet with credit our business-friendly climate, highly skilled and diverse workforce and exceptional quality of life across every region of our great state as Texas' top advantages. We will continue to cut red tape and partner with job-creating businesses and innovators to build a stronger, more prosperous Texas for decades to come." Along with topping business ranking lists, Texas has also been leading the nation in job growth over the past several months. In March, Texas saw a new high with the largest labor force in the state's history at 15,778,500, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Texas Workforce Commission. Texas' economy also outpaced the nation in the fourth quarter of 2024. Texas' real gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an annual rate of 3.5% in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to the U.S. average of 2.4%. GDP represents the total value of all goods and services produced within the state over a specific period. Last week, Abbott signed Senate Bill 14, known as Texas DOGE, into law. The bill created the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office, building on recommendations from the Governor's Small Business Freedom Council to cut regulations and make stricter standards on new regulations. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas once again ranked best for business by Chief Executive magazine
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas governor signs law creating state DOGE
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed legislation Wednesday creating the Lone Star State's own cost- and regulation-cutting agency styled after tech billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative for the federal government. 'Texas DOGE will lead to spending cuts, regulation cuts and a more user-friendly government,' Abbott said during a bill-signing ceremony in Austin on Wednesday. 'It will ensure that Texas is operating at the speed of business, and it will make it easier for our fellow Texans, average Texas, to deal with their own state government.' Texas Senate Bill 14, which received broad bipartisan support in both chambers of the Republican-controlled Legislature, establishes the 'Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office,' tasked with helping state agencies root out 'unnecessary and ineffective rules' and improve 'public access to information regarding state agency rules, forms and filings.' According to the new law, the 'Texas DOGE' will also guide agencies in cutting back state-mandated training hours, fees, forms, and other requirements deemed inefficient. It's projected to cost taxpayers about $22 million over the next five years, according to a legislative fiscal note. 'We want to have a clear review of all of our agencies, where we can trim, how we can save businesses money, how we can save taxpayers money, so that they will continue to come here and create jobs and add to our economic viability and competitiveness,' Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) said during the ceremony. 'In Texas, we like to keep things simple, so Texas DOGE will make us more transparent than ever to every citizen [and] cut all the red tape — or most of the red tape, making us as efficient as possible, attracting more businesses, creating more jobs and saving taxpayer money.' Texas is among more than two dozen mostly GOP-led states that have rushed to adopt regulatory bodies modeled after the federal DOGE program that Musk has effectively led since President Trump returned to the White House in January. Many have done so through executive action and the creation of tasks forces. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced the creation of a one-year Florida State Department of Governmental Efficiency task force in February. But critics have questioned whether the efforts are merely ploys for Trump's attention, including the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute (EPI), which published a damning review of the efforts earlier this month. 'Several states have proposed DOGE-labelled legislation that will radically restructure government in favor of governors and their appointees at the expense of career civil servants,' EPI's researchers wrote. 'Such efforts have also targeted the independence, authority, and staffing of state 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,' they added. On the federal level, the Trump administration's DOGE has also faced pushback from Democrats and others who have raised issues over potential threats to federal programs, DOGE's handling of sensitive information and the effectiveness of the endeavor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
23-04-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Texas governor signs law creating state DOGE
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed legislation Wednesday creating the Lone Star State's own cost- and regulation-cutting agency styled after tech billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative for the federal government. 'Texas DOGE will lead to spending cuts, regulation cuts and a more user-friendly government,' Abbott said during a bill signing ceremony in Austin on Wednesday. 'It will ensure that Texas is operating at the speed of business, and it will make it easier for our fellow Texans, average Texas, to deal with their own state government.' Texas Senate Bill 14, which received broad bipartisan support in both chambers of the Republican-controlled Legislature, establishes the 'Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office,' tasked with helping state agencies root out 'unnecessary and ineffective rules' and improve 'public access to information regarding state agency rules, forms and filings.' According to the new law, the 'Texas DOGE' will also guide agencies in cutting back state-mandated training hours, fees, forms, and other requirements deemed inefficient. It's projected to cost taxpayers about $22 million over the next five years, according to a legislative fiscal note. 'We want to have a clear review of all of our agencies, where we can trim, how we can save businesses money, how we can save taxpayers money, so that they will continue to come here and create jobs and add to our economic viability and competitiveness,' Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) said during the ceremony. 'In Texas, we like to keep things simple, so Texas DOGE will make us more transparent than ever to every citizen (and) cut all the red tape — or most of the red tape, making us as efficient as possible, attracting more businesses, creating more jobs and saving taxpayer money.' Texas is among more than two dozen mostly GOP-led states that have rushed to adopt regulatory bodies modeled after the federal DOGE program that Musk has effectively led since President Trump returned to the White House in January. Many have done so through executive action and the creation of tasks forces. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced the creation of a one-year Florida State Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) task force in February. But critics have questioned whether the efforts are merely ploys for Trump's attention, including the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute (EPI), which published a damning review of the efforts earlier this month. 'Several states have proposed DOGE-labelled legislation that will radically restructure government in favor of governors and their appointees at the expense of career civil servants,' EPI's researchers wrote. 'Such efforts have also targeted the independence, authority, and staffing of state 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,' they added. On the federal level, the Trump administration's DOGE has also faced pushback from Democrats and others who have raised issues over potential threats to federal programs, DOGE's handling of sensitive information and the effectiveness of the endeavor.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'DOGE, Texas style': How new efficiency law is different from DOGE, Sunset Commission
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill Wednesday creating a permanent office dedicated to government efficiency in Texas. Senate Bill 14, referred to as the Regulatory Reform and Efficiency Act, was passed on April 14 and authorized the creation of the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office. The newly formed office will be separate from the committee formed in the Texas House of Representatives in February, called the Delivery of Government Efficiency (Texas DOGE) committee. While the spirit of the DOGE acronym refers broadly to government efficiency, Texas is taking a different approach to streamlining government processes. While the Federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is defined as a Temporary Service Organization in a presidential executive order, the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office will be a permanent part of the state government. Meanwhile, the 13-member, bipartisan Texas DOGE committee will continue its broad goal to eliminate waste, fraud and corruption within the state government. It's unclear how the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office and the House's DOGE committee will interact. As for the goals of the federal and state efforts toward government efficiency, the federal DOGE aims to modernize 'technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.' The Texas Regulatory Reform and Efficiency Act says the new office will focus on reducing regulations and streamlining the process to establish governing rules within government agencies. Texas already has an agency dedicated to analyzing the efficiency of government agencies. The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission was established in 1977. Since then, it has saved Texas $1 billion by 'evaluating the need for state agencies and their effectiveness, efficiency, and responsiveness to the public.' The Sunset Advisory Commission periodically reviews and audits government agencies, and then makes recommendations to the Legislature about changes that need to be made, up to and including abolishing a particular part of the government. The Sunset process must include state congressional approval before any action is taken. READ MORE: 'Change is coming': Texas DOGE hosts first meeting The bill being signed by Abbott on Wednesday empowers the newly formed office to reduce rules, regulations, required trainings and other 'inefficiencies resulting from rules or other regulatory requirements.' The Texas Regulatory Reform and Efficiency Act does not include a defined relationship between the new Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office and the Sunset Advisory Commission. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Inside the Investigation: Texas DOGE wants audit, sanctions for Medicaid contractor accused of spying
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas lawmakers are calling for an immediate audit of a state Medicaid contractor that provides coverage for sick and disabled children — after emails publicly revealed the company might have been spying on state lawmakers and private citizens. This week on Inside the Investigation, midday anchor and Investigative reporter Avery Travis explains the broader implications of the state's investigation. Insurance company accused of spying on customers, lawmakers faces Texas Attorney General investigation Texas DOGE calls for sanctions, audit of insurance company accused of spying on lawmakers and customers Texas DOGE considers bill to prohibit 'surveillance' by state contractors Join KXAN Investigative Reporter Kelly Wiley every Friday at 10:30 a.m. on YouTube, Facebook, or for a live recap of the latest headlines and in-depth reporting from the KXAN Investigates team. You can also listen to KXAN's investigative podcast, highlighting some of our award-winning team's latest reports exposing corruption, safety concerns and system failures across Texas. We also feature audio versions of our weekly 'Inside the Investigation' discussion with the journalists working on those stories. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
