Legislation being considered in Olympia aims to improve how Washington’s government serves its residents by auditing state agencies to increase efficiency, reduce unnecessary spending and ensure regulations are clear and accountable.

The proposal also supports key elements of the current operating budget by identifying cost-saving opportunities and streamlining state operations.

House Bill 2076, sponsored by Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, would create the Washington Department of Government Efficiency, or WA DOGE, a new legislative agency charged with identifying outdated rules, eliminating waste, and cracking down on agencies that operate beyond their legal authority.

“This bill creates a process for auditing Washington state bureaucratic agencies to make sure they are operating as efficiently as possible — and holding them to account if they aren’t,” said Walsh. “It’s necessary to implement the current operating budget proposals in Olympia. But it’s more than just a technical change or clean-up. Creating the WA DOGE process is a major change in how our state’s government works.”

Under the bill, WA DOGE would work with agencies to eliminate duplicative or unnecessary functions and ensure that new rules don’t pile on more red tape. Any agency proposing a new regulation must identify at least two existing rules to repeal. The department would also be empowered to investigate whether agencies enforce rules or make decisions based on ideology rather than law.

“For several decades, state bureaucratic agencies have exploded in size and arrogance,” Walsh said. “Most have far exceeded their original — and usually good — missions. They’ve become the worst example of David Hume’s ‘Leviathan,’ becoming more focused on their own size and power than on delivering good outcomes for the people. WA DOGE would change all of that.”

The new department would operate under the Legislature and submit regular reports to lawmakers and the governor’s office. A final report on its findings and recommendations would be due in July 2028.

Walsh said the proposal builds on tools already in state law while also incorporating best practices from other states and the private sector.

“The WA DOGE system combines internal audits with legislative and executive oversight to create a strategic approach to ensuring efficiency in the delivery of state government services,” Walsh concluded. “It’s about taking what works — and fixing what doesn’t. It’s time Washington’s bureaucracies stop serving themselves and start serving the people again.”

HB 2076 is currently being considered by the House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee.