The Problem
Texas statutory law grows with each legislative session. Programs, boards, commissions, and regulatory provisions accumulate over time. While the Sunset process reviews agencies periodically, it does not provide a comprehensive, code-wide reassessment of statutory duplication, overlap, or obsolescence.
As statutes accumulate, complexity increases. Overlapping authorities may create confusion. Outdated provisions may persist long after their original purpose has faded. Regulatory frameworks designed for past economic conditions may remain in place without reconsideration.
Government growth often occurs not through deliberate expansion, but through inertia.
Why It Matters
A modern legal framework requires periodic pruning. Outdated and duplicative statutes increase compliance burdens, obscure accountability, and expand administrative complexity.
When laws are rarely repealed but frequently added, the code becomes less navigable for citizens, businesses, and even lawmakers. Complexity can itself become a barrier to economic opportunity. Limited government is not only about spending levels or tax rates; it is about clarity, efficiency, and intentional design.
Structural discipline must apply to the statute book itself.
What Reform Requires
- Establish a systematic, code-wide statutory review process beyond agency-by-agency sunset
- Repeal obsolete and duplicative statutory provisions
- Consolidate overlapping boards, commissions, and authorities
- Require a clear justification for retaining regulatory structures during review
- Modernize outdated regulatory frameworks to reflect current economic and technological conditions
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