Texas Cyber Command Signed, Responsible AI Governance Act Passed

Both the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act (TRAIGA) and the Texas Cyber Command bill landed on the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott as the 89th legislative session adjourned on Monday.

Abbott has already signed House Bill 150 into law, approving $135 million in funding for the creation of the Texas Cyber Command. The governor previously announced the bill as an emergency item in February.

Headquartered in San Antonio and working closely with the University of Texas at San Antonio, the state’s Regional Security Operation Centers and other universities, the Texas Cyber Command is positioned to become the largest state-based cybersecurity department in the U.S.

According to a press release, the Texas Cyber Command will also partner with national agencies to respond to cyber attacks, including “the Sixteenth Air Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Security Agency, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Southwest Texas Fusion Center.”

HB 149, also known as TRAIGA, received strong bipartisan support to pass in both the House and Senate.

Designed as a comprehensive regulatory framework for artificial intelligence with recommendations from both public and private institutions, TRAIGA is meant to encourage innovation and private investment in the state while protecting individual rights.

The bill prohibits government use of AI for social scoring, biometric surveillance using images scraped from the Internet without consent, the use of AI tools to incite harm and AI-generated deepfakes or child exploitation materials.

The bill’s author, state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-98, celebrated the bill’s passing in a LinkedIn post.

“This landmark legislation establishes the nation’s most robust, outcomes-based AI regulatory framework, balancing innovation with accountability to protect Texans and promote responsible AI leadership,” wrote Capriglione. “Together, we’re building a future where AI serves the public good.”

TRAIGA has not been signed as of this writing, although it may not matter if the federal budget reconciliation bill, also known as the Big Beautiful Bill, is signed into law. The bill would prohibit states from regulating AI for 10 years.

Passed by the House on May 22, HR 1 states that “no state or political subdivision thereof may enforce, during the 10-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this act, any law or regulation of that state or a political subdivision thereof limiting, restricting, or otherwise regulating artificial intelligence models, artificial intelligence systems or automated decision systems entered into interstate commerce.”

The proposed moratorium, which has received strong bipartisan opposition, would render most AI measures implemented by states impossible to enforce.