Can artificial intelligence help make government more efficient while saving taxpayers and businesses billions of dollars?

On this episode of Texas Talks, host Brad Swail sits down with Reeve Bull, Policy Director at the Fulcrum Foundation and former Director of the Office of Regulatory Management under Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, to discuss one of the nation's most successful state regulatory reform efforts—and how Texas is building on that success with artificial intelligence.

Bull explains how Virginia eliminated or streamlined more than 35% of its regulatory requirements, reduced nearly half the words in agency guidance documents, and generated an estimated $1.4 billion in annual savings for residents and businesses—all while maintaining protections for public health and safety.

The conversation covers:

• How Virginia reduced regulatory burdens and saved taxpayers billions
• Using AI to review regulations, permits, and government guidance
• Why transparency is just as important as cutting regulations
• Texas' new Regulatory Efficiency Office (TRIO) and what comes next
• Occupational licensing reform and reducing unnecessary barriers to work
• How states can compare regulations and learn from one another
• The future of AI in modernizing state government

Bull also discusses how AI can rapidly identify outdated regulations, duplicate rules across agencies, and compare state regulatory codes—tasks that would traditionally require thousands of hours of manual review.

Throughout the discussion, he argues that smarter regulation isn't about eliminating necessary protections, but ensuring government rules are effective, transparent, and no more burdensome than they need to be.

00:00 — Virginia's $1.4 billion regulatory reform
00:29 — Intro + Meet Reeve Bull
02:08 — Why regulations matter
04:12 — The cosmetology licensing example
08:32 — The goals behind Virginia's reforms
09:29 — Cost-benefit analysis explained
14:48 — Reviewing every regulation
16:31 — How AI changed the process
21:58 — AI's biggest advantages
27:17 — Did Virginia meet its goals?
30:37 — Texas' TRIO initiative
35:07 — How reforms actually get approved
37:22 — Building support for regulatory reform
40:14 — Why now is the right time for AI
42:25 — The Fulcrum Foundation
43:30 — Closing thoughts

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