Governor Greg Abbott (R) announced this week the launch of the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office (TREO). The new state agency, which is housed within the Office of the Governor, is designed to streamline government operations and reduce regulatory burdens on Texans.
Governor Abbott has appointed Jerome Greener as the office’s first director. Greener, who is a longtime public policy advisor, will oversee TREO’s work as it coordinates with state agencies.
In a statement, the Texas Governor commented that “the State of Texas operates at the speed of business, and this new Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office will ensure we continue to foster economic opportunity and protect individual liberty.” “By cutting red tape and rooting out unnecessary regulations, we will make state government more responsive and more efficient to serve the people and job creators of Texas,” he added.
The newly launched TREO website will serve as a central hub for the office’s initiatives, with features including the Regulation Evaluation Portal.
Through the portal, Texans can provide feedback, submit recommendations, and flag areas of potential government overregulation for review. Officials said the website will expand over time to highlight the agency’s progress and showcase best practices in regulatory efficiency.
TREO’s creation comes from Senate Bill 14, which Governor Abbott signed into law earlier this year.
The bill directs the office to help state agencies identify and repeal unnecessary or ineffective rules, evaluate the costs regulations impose on the public, and establish guidelines for how agencies adopt new rules. These guidelines include ensuring proper cost-benefit analyses and employment impact statements accompany regulatory proposals.
The agency comes after the Trump Administrations own Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which sought to address "waste, fraud, and abuse" in the federal government. States have adopted similar agencies, resulting in agencies like Florida DOGE.
