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Administrative state 2025 legislation: Enacted legislation by pillar and trifecta status
August 20, 2025
By Ballotpedia staff
| Administrative State |
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| Five Pillars of the Administrative State |
| •Agency control • Executive control • Judicial control •Legislative control • Public Control |
| Click here for more coverage of the administrative state on Ballotpedia.
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| Click here to access Ballotpedia's administrative state legislation tracker. |
Enacted legislation by pillar and state trifecta status
This section provides an overview of enacted legislation by pillar of the administrative state. Some legislation concerns multiple pillars.
The chart below shows how many of the enacted bills and resolutions in each pillar increased agency power, decreased agency power, or had no clear net effect one way or the other.
Legislative pillar - the interplay between agencies and lawmakers and the related reform proposals and legal doctrines, including the nondelegation doctrine.
- 47 enacted bills and resolutions were in the legislative pillar. 77% decreased agency control, and 13% increased agency control. The remaining bills did not have a clear net effect on agency power.
- 12 Republican trifectas,
- 7 Democratic trifectas, and
- 4 divided governments enacted legislation categorized in this pillar.
- These included legislative oversight reforms, such as REINS Acts and sunset review acts.
- Five states (Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Utah) enacted REINS-style legislative oversight laws this year.
- These included legislative oversight reforms, such as REINS Acts and sunset review acts.
- Other noteworthy bills concerned:
- Legislative disapproval or nullification of agency rules (Wyoming)
- Requirements for agencies to notify legislators of agency rules implementing legislation they sponsored (Montana)
- Legislative oversight of out-of-session agency funding changes (North Dakota)
- Other noteworthy bills concerned:
Judicial pillar - interplay between agencies and the courts, including the level of judicial deference given to agency rules.
- Nine (9) bills and resolutions that were in the judicial pillar of the administrative state were enacted this year. 88% of these bills decreased agency power and the remaining did not have a clear effect. None of the judicial pillar bills that were enacted this year increased agency power.
- 7 Republican trifectas
- 1 Democratic trifecta
- 1 divided government
- These bills relate to how courts oversee agency actions through judicial review and judicial deference.
- Five (5) states passed bills prohibiting or limiting judicial deference to agency interpretations and requiring courts to hear cases challenging agency actions de novo: Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas.
- Utah passed a resolution directing the review of federal agency regulations upheld through recently overturned federal Chevron Deference standards.
Executive pillar - interplay between agencies and the executive branch, including executive control of appointment and removal.
- 22 bills and resolutions related to the executive pillar of the administrative state were enacted this year. 27% of these bills increased agency power, 54% decreased agency power, and 18% had no clear net effect on agency power.
- 8 Republican trifectas
- 4 Democratic trifectas
- 2 divided governments
- Noteworthy examples:
- Vermont SB 44 requires agencies to get approval from the governor or attorney general before entering into any agreement related to immigration.
- Oklahoma SB 1024 requires approval from the governor or the appropriate cabinet member for all agency rules.
- Louisiana's REINS-style law contains a provision requiring the governor to approve proposed rules if the relevant legislative committee does not review them within 30 days.
Agency pillar - the dynamics among agencies and sub-agencies.
- 212 bills and resolutions were enacted this year that relate to inter-agency dynamics. 39% decreased agency power, and 36% bills increased agency power. The remaining bills did not have a clear effect in either direction.
- 18 Republican trifectas,
- 12 Democratic trifectas, and
- 8 divided governments enacted legislation categorized in this pillar.
- This legislation includes bills that create or abolish agencies or sub-agencies that exert authority or oversight on other agencies.
- Several states considered legislation this year creating a state agency or office modeled on or in some ways similar to the federal-level Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative. Examples of enacted bills included Texas SB14 to establish the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office, North Carolina HB 125 to establish the Division of Accountability, Value, and Efficiency (DAVE), Additionally, some DOGE-like state efforts were put in place through executive orders.
Public pillar - how agencies relate to the people and organizations subject to their rules, including procedural rights, enforcement, and adjudication.
- 139 bills related to how agencies interact with the people and organizations they regulate were enacted in 2025. 54% of these bills increased agency control, 35% decreased agency control, and the others did not have a clear net effect on agency power.
- 18 Republican trifectas
- 11 Democratic trifectas
- 8 divided governments
- This legislation included
- regulatory initiation bills,
- regulatory reduction bills,
- bills related to occupational licensing, and
- bills that require or allow public participation, commentary, and transparency.
Ballotpedia's Administrative State Legislation Tracker
Keeping track of the latest administrative state developments in all 50 state legislatures with Ballotpedia's Administrative State Legislation Tracker.
Ballotpedia's Administrative State Legislation Tracker allows you to track, query, and analyze hundreds of bills and resolutions affecting the authority and influence of agencies and agency rulemaking. Whether you're watching for specific reform policies, looking for trends, or keeping up-to-date on the changes in the administrative state landscape, our administrative state legislation tracker is your easy-to-use and flexible solution.
