HB 12

📢 What’s Really Inside HB 12 – And Why Texans Should Be Paying Attention

You may have heard that HB 12 is about improving government “efficiency.”
But here’s what the bill actually does—quietly, structurally, and permanently.

✅ It forces every state agency in Texas to go through performance audits.
❌ But those audits can be outsourced to private companies.
❌ Agencies have no control over who gets picked, and they’re required to pay the full cost—even if it bankrupts them.

There’s no cap on what those audits can cost.
And there’s no public bidding required for the private firms who win those contracts.

The bill also eliminates oversight from your elected Legislative Budget Board, handing control to the State Auditor and a small group of appointed officials. These aren't people you voted for. They don’t have to answer to the public.

Let that sink in:
Public agencies now have to pay private auditors, chosen by unelected insiders, with no cap, no vote, and no way to appeal.

Worse, those audit results can be used to shut down programs, repeal rules, or justify deregulation—even in areas like licensing, public health, consumer protection, or education.

Behind the scenes, groups like the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Americans for Prosperity, Texans for Lawsuit Reform, and the Cicero Institute all testified in favor of this bill. Why? Because they want fewer public rules and more private control.

HB 12 doesn’t fight waste—it cuts out watchdogs.
It opens the door for politically driven audits, quiet defunding of public programs, and corporate-friendly rule changes without a full legislative vote.

This isn’t oversight.
It’s privatized power—wrapped in the language of efficiency.

If your agency is next to be labeled “inefficient,” there’s nothing stopping it from being gutted, reorganized, or handed off to private control.

This bill was signed into law.
It takes effect September 1, 2025.

Stay informed. Ask questions. And don’t let “efficiency” become an excuse to dismantle public services behind closed doors.
I’ll keep breaking these bills down—because Texas deserves transparency.