The Regulatory Reform and Efficiency Act aims to improve the efficiency of state agencies in rule adoption and regulatory requirements by establishing the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office within the governor's office. This office will focus on streamlining the rule adoption process, assisting agencies in eliminating unnecessary regulations, and enhancing public access to information about state agency rules. The bill also mandates that proposed rules be presented in plain language and introduces new notice requirements that include requests for information on the cost and effects of proposed rules. Additionally, it creates the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Advisory Panel to support the office's objectives.

The bill amends several sections of the Government Code to clarify procedural requirements for state agency rules and the judicial review process. It specifies that a rule is voidable unless adopted in substantial compliance with certain sections and requires individuals to contest a rule's compliance within two years of its effective date. Furthermore, it states that courts are not required to defer to a state agency's legal determinations, although they may consider reasonable interpretations. The bill also mandates de novo review of legal questions by courts without deference to agency interpretations and repeals certain existing sections. The changes will take effect immediately upon a two-thirds vote from both houses or on September 1, 2025, if not passed.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Government Code 2001.007, Government Code 2001.024, Government Code 2001.035, Government Code 2001.040, Government Code 2001.022 (Government Code 2001)
House Committee Report: Government Code 2001.007, Government Code 2001.024, Government Code 2001.035, Government Code 2001.040, Government Code 2001.022 (Government Code 2001)