Governor Greg Abbott has now signed House Bill 150 into law, creating the new Texas Cyber Command in a major move. This organization will be the largest state-based cybersecurity department in America, headquartered at The University of Texas at San Antonio. Passed during the 89th Regular Legislative Session, it will leverage the cybersecurity expertise of various state and federal partners. Governor Abbott stated the state is under constant attack from foreign actors in hostile countries like China, Russia, and Iran. He explained its ultimate mission is to prevent and protect Texas against all of these damaging and costly cyber breaches.
This law is intended to make Texas a national leader.
This new Texas Cyber Command is being funded through a significant state investment of approximately $135 million to begin its operations. It will quickly launch a comprehensive cyber threat intelligence center to identify and repair any existing weaknesses in government computer systems. This important center will also be responsible for training and educating all users about the effective prevention of very common cyber breaches. The new command will also coordinate with many governments on swift and effective responses to any cyber attacks that may still occur. Additionally, it will collaborate with its partners to establish the gold standard for state-level cybersecurity practices and overall digital defense.
Home to the second-largest concentration of cyber expertise in the United States, the command will be headquartered in San Antonio.
This specific strategic location will allow the state agency to partner with leading national cybersecurity missions already based there. These important federal partners include the United States Air Force’s Sixteenth Air Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Security Agency. The command will also work very closely with the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Army, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Southwest Texas Fusion Center. This extensive collaboration is designed to leverage existing expertise and resources, enhancing the state’s overall security posture against a range of threats.
House Bill 150, which was authored by Representative Giovanni Capriglione and Senator Tan Parker, creates a new purpose-built state agency. This brand new agency’s primary mission is to defend, respond, and also fully recover from a wide variety of serious cyber threats. In his 2025 State of the State Address, Governor Abbott had previously declared this new Texas Cyber Command an emergency item. This important designation helped to prioritize its successful passage during this most recent and very productive state legislative session in Texas. The governor was joined at the official bill signing ceremony by the bill’s authors, the UTSA President, and also other top state officials.
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