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What to Know:
- Salesforce accounts for most of the proposed spending.
- Two of the actions would replace contracts nearing expiration.
- The package spans customer services, records management and workforce training.
Top News Stories
What to Know:
- Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo wants a public meeting to examine the county’s use of thousands of Flock Safety license plate-reading cameras.
- Hidalgo is calling for clearer rules around data access, privacy, camera locations and oversight before the programs continue.
- The Commissioners Court renewed the Flock Safety contract in May as investigations into alleged misuse of the technology continue in Harris County and nearby jurisdictions.
What to Know:
- HHSC’s total 2028-29 request is about $112 billion across all programs.
- The LAR includes about $1.4 billion in baseline technology-related capital-budget categories.
- Exceptional items marked with an IT component total about $491 million, though not every dollar represents a standalone technology purchase.
What to Know:
- Shared cyber protection is the largest exceptional item.
- The AI and quantum request includes funding for AI model access, statewide AI system security and cryptographic discovery.
- The workforce item would add 120 full-time equivalent positions if fully funded.
Industry Insider — Texas will not publish a newsletter Monday in observance of the Labor Day holiday. The newsletter will resume Wednesday morning.
What to Know:
- An ordered 3 percent reduction in budgets is pushing agencies to rethink AI and modernization.
- Agency CIOs are grappling with token consumption costs post-deployment.
- Texas Cyber Command aims to strengthen and expand the state's RSOC program.
What to Know:
- The six-month pilot gives Texas water and wastewater utilities access to cybersecurity and AI resources at no cost.
- Federal partners include the Environmental Protection Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
- Microsoft, Reflection AI, Palo Alto Networks and Dragos are among the participating companies.
What to Know:
- San Antonio is weighing a multimillion-dollar transportation technology contract this week.
- El Paso transit officials are pursuing federal money tied to an existing paratransit software project.
- Houston’s technology committee returns later this month, with its agenda still pending.
What to Know:
- Insight Public Sector’s network engineering award is valued at $5 million, with pricing locked for the full term.
- A best and final offer cut the network engineering cost by $62,000 annually, totaling $246,000 across four one-year terms.
- DIR is also advancing about $3.5 million in voice services and router spending, including a $1.1 million router purchase billed to the Texas Facilities Commission.
What to Know:
- Data center and shared technology services account for the largest technology amount, at about $49 million.
- TxDMV is requesting about $8 million for technology replacement and upgrades supporting county tax assessor-collector offices.
- The agency is seeking unexpended-balance authority to continue the $125 million Registration and Titling System modernization project funded by the 89th Legislature.
What to Know:
- DIR is in the early stages of AI sandbox engagements with six agencies and is fielding interest from several others.
- The department has certified more than 100 AI awareness training programs, while its own training has received more than 60,000 YouTube views.
- State CIO Tony Sauerhoff said DIR is not aware of AI-related breaches of state systems and described segmentation, access and life cycle controls used to isolate sandbox environments.
What to Know:
- The system gives the Police Department’s Fusion Center access to nationwide pawn and secondhand property records for investigations.
- The agreement also covers data analysis, investigative research, cellular mapping and cross-case information sharing.
- Dallas is consolidating services previously handled through multiple agreements into one LeadsOnline contract.
What to Know:
- Plata brings more than 25 years of cybersecurity, data protection and military experience.
- He spent nearly eight years at USAA, most recently leading enterprise data management, governance and AI initiatives.
- His 23-year Army career included helping establish the service’s first two national-level Cyber Protection Teams.
What to Know:
- The largest proposal adds $69 million to existing Cisco and Meraki contracts, raising their combined ceiling to $141 million.
- Other actions cover network security, police records management, analytics, remote access, airport security operations and utility cybersecurity.
- Austin Police could move its records management environment to a vendor-managed cloud platform.
What to Know:
- DIR’s 2028-29 LAR includes about $7.1 million for artificial intelligence work and no exceptional-item request.
- The agency’s previous LAR included $64.5 million in exceptional items, including cybersecurity expansion and eProcurement enhancements.
- Two prior cybersecurity strategies show no requested funding as functions transition to Texas Cyber Command.
A year after Texas Cyber Command was created through legislation, the agency has operationalized most of its core structure. Recently the agency's chief, TJ White, testified to the state Legislature about that progress and some of its plans — including possible procurements.
What to Know:
- TDA’s 2028-29 LAR includes about $2 million for consolidation and modernization of legacy systems.
- The agency is requesting about $763,000 for computer equipment and software across the biennium.
- TDA is not requesting data center services funding for 2028-29, saying it has been unable to enter into a contract with DIR.
Amy Kelley will fill the role. She brings 25 years of IT experience to the Department of Information Resources, much of it with state and local government in Texas.
What to Know:
- The largest technology items are DIR Shared Technology Services, information resources normal growth and CAPPS/PeopleSoft maintenance.
- A separate cybersecurity operations item would continue existing products, services and two cybersecurity positions.
- TDHCA does not request exceptional item funding for 2028-29; its technology-related funding is in the capital budget and informational cybersecurity schedules.
The Cybersecurity Threat Intelligence Center is one of the three main sub-organizations of the new Texas Cyber Command. Another one of those, the Information Sharing and Analysis Organization, closed its director applications last week.
What to Know:
- Texas A&M’s top exceptional item is a $38 million request for a statewide quantum technology initiative.
- The project includes an IT component and would fund the first on-premises hybrid quantum-classical computing platform in Texas.
- The university also requests debt-service support for a $125 million public service building with technology-enabled classrooms, national security spaces and satellite imagery systems.
What to Know:
- The hold took effect Monday and will remain in place until further notice, with no reason provided to grant recipients.
- The action comes as the State Auditor’s Office conducts a performance audit and the comptroller conducts a separate internal review.
- Texas selected 22 applicants for $1.2 billion in federal grants intended to serve more than 240,000 broadband-serviceable locations.
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