AUSTIN- Today, HB 150, the Texas Cyber Command finally passed and now heads to Governor Abbott’s desk to become law.
HB 150 establishes key functions of the Texas Cyber Command, clarifies the collaborative model, and equips this initiative with the appropriate resources to protect and defend Texas from rogue outlets across the globe. Namely, this bill focuses on equipping our state to better defend our critical infrastructure systems, such as water systems that have been in the crosshairs of hostile nations like Russia and China.
TPPF would like to thank Senator Tan Parker and Representative Giovanni Capriglione for their hard work on this important piece of legislation as well as Governor Greg Abbott for declaring this an emergency item, and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker Dustin Burrows for their commitment to upgrading Texas’ cybersecurity.
“For too long, America has been playing catch up and clean up after foreign adversaries like China and Russia disable and infiltrate our critical infrastructure through cyber-attacks,” said David Dunmoyer, Campaign Director for TPPF’s Better Tech for Tomorrow campaign. “Texas’ critical water infrastructure systems have been a particularly salient target for ransomware and cyber disruptions, exposing these systems as soft targets in dire need of cyber fortification.”
“With the historic creation of the Texas Cyber Command, we’re sending a clear message to the world: when it comes to cyberwarfare, don’t mess with Texas.”