Texas Cyber Command Bill Wins House Approval

A bill that would create a state cyber command in San Antonio easily won House approval and is awaiting a vote in the Senate.

Proposed by Gov. Greg Abbott in his State of the State address in February, the Texas Cyber Command is intended to help protect state entities and infrastructure against cyberattacks. It would be created in partnership with the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Abbott said San Antonio’s booming cybersecurity industry made it the right location for the center, which could bring 130 jobs to the city.

House Bill 150 passed the House 130-13 on April 16 and was referred Monday to the Senate Committee on Business and Commerce. It calls for the state’s new cyber headquarters to be administratively attached to UTSA under a governor-appointed director.

Details about the center’s location and timing are still unclear, but the University of Texas System has estimated start-up, staffing and operating costs for 2026.

Legislative budget documents show the command will cost $135.5 million through 2027. In the next five years, it’s expected to cost $345.2 million.

The UT system estimates it will cost $60.4 million to acquire and renovate a property, which would include installing secure facilities for handling sensitive information. It has committed that amount from its Permanent University Fund for the project. UT estimates it will need an additional $24 million for start-up and operating costs in 2026. Initial staffing calls for 65 full-time employees in 2026, growing to 130 the next year.

The new command will take some of the Texas Department of Information Resources’ responsibilities to be the state’s cybersecurity clearinghouse. It will head the state’s cyber defense, education and training, threat intelligence monitoring, partnerships and collect incident reports.

The bill calls for creating a digital forensics lab, cybersecurity incident response unit and a cybersecurity threat intelligence center to work with law enforcement agencies and provide guidance to the state’s regional security operations centers.

The command will also provide a report about Texas’ cybersecurity every two years. In its 2024 report, the Department of Information Resources said the state “must build on past efforts to prioritize investments in cybersecurity infrastructure, workforce development and public-private collaboration.”

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