AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas version of DOGE got to work on Wednesday. The Committee on Delivery of Government Efficiency was created by House Speaker Dustin Burrows.

It is modeled after the controversial federal team led by Elon Musk.

What is the Texas DOGE program?

What they’re saying:

The House Committee on Delivery of Government Efficiency (DOGE) got underway Wednesday with a promise from Committee Chairman Giovanni Capriglione.

“For too long, government inefficiency has been tolerated, accepted and ignored. That ends now,” said Chairman Capriglione (R) Southlake.

This Texas twist on the federal DOGE program is similar in name to the one led by Elon Musk. But the chairman denied it was a political copycat.

“This is going to be different. This is, as I say, everything in Texas, a little bit bigger and a little bit better. And that’s what we’ll be doing here in this committee will be looking at using scalpels, and we’ll also be able to look at sledgehammers,” said Chairman Capriglione.

Chairman Capriglione was asked if there is waste in the Texas government. Did he think the state has been mismanaged for the past 20 years by Republican leaders? 

“It hasn’t, but we only meet every two years. So, this is an opportunity for us to go and look at what’s been done over the last two years and possibly longer,” said Chairman Capriglione.

Dig deeper:

The committee’s initial focus on Wednesday was on the state’s IT department, the newly formed Space Commission, and even the Sunset Advisory Commission.

Committee member Tony Tinderholt (R) Arlington asked the Executive Director of the Sunset Advisory Commission, Eric Beverly, how often the organization determines that an agency should be eliminated. 

“I can tell you that we have just, in the last 12 years, recommended abolishing eight different agencies,” said Beverly. 

Most state agencies not only go through a Sunset review, all go through a review during the Legislative Budget process. Despite that, Chairman Capriglione does not believe his committee is redundant.

“You always need an independent a third party, if you will, to go and look at what’s been done and what’s going on. And that’s what this committee is going to do,” said Chairman Capriglione.

During the hearing, committee member Ana-Maria Rodriguez Ramos indicated House Democrats will embrace being part of the Texas DOGE.

“I would love to learn more about exploring waste, fraud, and abuse under Operation Lonestar and I hope that, you know, our legislature would really be committed to transparency there, knowing how much we’ve spent billions and billions over the past few years,” said Rep. Rodriguez Ramos (D) Richardson.

The Texas DOGE committee will not issue pink slips. But members are expected to make recommendations about staffing and file legislative reforms that could reassign staff.

“We’re going to go and point out wherever we see inefficiencies. Right. And so, obviously, that goes to each individual agency to decide. But we already have bills that are coming to our committee that are going to talk about how to make sure that what people want and the services they need align with the resources that we’re putting into it,” said Chairman Capriglione.

Local perspective:

There is the potential for scoring political points beyond Operation Lone Star, according to Brian Smith with St. Edwards University.

“Democrats might be able to make something of this,” said Smith.

High-profile cuts, according to Smith, may be more difficult to accomplish.

“Everybody’s going to justify their program under the Dome as being very efficient,” said Smith.

Smith also noted that Texas runs a lean budget unlike the federal budget. Chairman Capriglione is confident reforms can be made.

“The goal of this is to make sure that the government’s working for the taxpayers, not the other way around,” said Chairman Capriglione.

What’s next:

The state has almost 270,000 different rules and regulations on the books. 

Based on the hearing on Wednesday, it appears the committee’s initial focus may be on that, as well as contracts and property management, rather than the state workforce.

One of the best times of the year for students is just around the corner! From the tradition’s inception in 1938, spring break has grown into a sort of right of passage for those seeking higher education.

While Visual Academy identifies Fort Lauderdale, Florida has the original spring break destination, travel has since expanded across the country — and beyond. Mexico and the Caribbean are now common in spring break. Rio de Janeiro, Curacao, Tokyo, Osaka and Istanbul are some of the fastest-growing destinations, according to Expedia.

Although many students highly anticipate spring break, the period is also known for encouraging risky behavior. Excessive drinking and unprotected sex are among the top concerns for law enforcement and medical personnel working near popular spring break spots.

Online retailer MattressNextDay has collected data on the best 24-hour cities in America to offer around-the-clock excitement for spring breakers. The first analysis ranked 30 cities across the following seven measures:

• City safety score
• Google search volume for “parties”
• Number of events
• Number of dance clubs
• Prices for one-way public transportation tickets
• Percentage of hotels with at least four stars
• Percentage of restaurants with at least four stars

MattressNextDay conducted another study to determine the safest 24-hour cities, based on factors like crime rates, public safety measures and late-night infrastructure.

One Texas city was among the top five 24-hour cities in the U.S., and several more Lone Star State cities ranked high for safety. Is yours one of them? Here’s what the data shows.

Austin among top 24-hour cities in US

When it comes to cities with the best nightlife and public transportation, it’s no surprise that New York City and Las Vegas topped MattressNextDay’s list of the best 24-hour U.S. cities.

You may not have guessed the Texas capital would also appear on the list. With tickets costing $1.50, Austin boasted some of the cheapest public transportation among the cities in the study. It also scored high on safety rankings and the availability of quality hotels.

1. New York City, New York
2. Las Vegas, Nevada
3. Boston, Massachusetts
4. Austin, Texas
5. San Diego, California

People are also reading: Plan the Ultimate Spring Break or Summer Stay in Austin with Wander’s Luxury Vacation Rentals

4 Texas cities among safest 24-hour cities in US

Even if other Texas cities aren’t as bustling with nightlife as Austin, several scored exceptionally high on MattressNextDay’s ranking of the safest 24-hour cities. El Paso topped the list as the safest among all others in the country. Austin, Fort Worth and San Antonio joined the west Texas city in the top 10.

1. El Paso, TX: 67.49
2. San Diego, CA: 60.27
3. Boston, MA: 60.13
4. Austin, TX: 57.7
5. Fort Worth, TX: 56.5
6. Charlotte, NC: 53.2
7. Denver, CO: 52.53
8. San Jose, CA: 52.21
9. San Antonio, TX: 52.19
10. Nashville, TN: 51.46