Houston Daily

Governor Greg Abbott has enacted House Bill 150, establishing the Texas Cyber Command, during a ceremony at The University of Texas at San Antonio. This initiative aims to form the largest state-based cybersecurity department in the United States. The bill was passed in the 89th Regular Legislative Session and focuses on protecting Texans from cyber threats by utilizing resources from state, local, and federal partners.

Governor Abbott highlighted the urgency of this measure by stating, "Our state is under constant attack by cyber criminals, attacks that occur thousands of times every single second of every single day." He emphasized that foreign actors from countries such as China, Russia, and Iran have previously targeted Texas cities and government agencies. "That changes today," he added. "I'm signing a law that creates the Texas Cyber Command. Its ultimate mission is to prevent and protect against cyber breaches."

The new command will be supported by a $135 million investment. It plans to establish a cyber threat intelligence center aimed at identifying vulnerabilities in government systems while also providing training for preventing breaches. Additionally, it will coordinate with various governments for rapid responses to cyber incidents and collaborate with partners across different levels to set high standards in cybersecurity.

San Antonio will serve as the headquarters for this command due to its significant concentration of cyber expertise. The city already hosts several national cybersecurity missions including those from Sixteenth Air Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Security Agency, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Army, Department of Homeland Security, and Southwest Texas Fusion Center.

Present at the signing were Senator Tan Parker and Representative Giovanni Capriglione who sponsored House Bill 150 along with other officials like UTSA President Taylor Eighmy and Amanda Crawford from the Texas Department of Information Resources.

In his State of the State Address earlier this year, Governor Abbott had declared this initiative an emergency item for legislative action.