House Bill 149, or TRAIGA, serves as a comprehensive regulatory framework for artificial intelligence with the intent to both foster innovation and encourage private industry investment in the state while protecting individual rights. Authored and filed by state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-98, the bill incorporates recommendations from both private and public institutions. The bill becomes effective on Jan. 1, 2026.
The bill’s efficacy is currently in question, however, due to a 10-year moratorium on state AI regulations proposed in the federal budget bill that was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.
In the Senate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-TX, altered the language of the bill to allow the AI provision to overcome the Byrd Rule, which prohibits the inclusion of “extraneous matter” in reconciliation. The most recent version of the provision would deny states attempting to regulate AI federal funding from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, of which Texas has been allocated $3.3 billion.
Gov. Abbott addressed the moratorium in his signature statement.
“This session, the Legislature spent a substantial amount of time working on bills that help implement the use of artificial intelligence,” Abbott’s statement reads. “Because it is unclear what federal law may ultimately say, I am signing House Bill No. 149. But if federal law does ultimately prohibit state enforcement of rules in the AI space, my instruction to executive agencies will be to take action necessary to ensure federal funding will not be compromised.”
TRAIGA was one of five AI-related bills signed by the governor on Sunday. The remaining four will establish an AI division within the Texas Department of Information Resources, require annual compliance with cybersecurity and AI training for government employees and officials, create a criminal offense for the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes, and dictate how AI systems and data used by governmental entities is to be regulated.
The final five tech bills signed recently are as follows:
- HB 5196 dictates a return to office for state employees, with limited exceptions.
- HB 2963 makes Texas the ninth state to enact a right to repair law.
- HB 3112 will modify provisions in the Texas Government Code to exempt cybersecurity-related information from open meetings and public information requirements.
- HB 5195 outlines efforts to be made by state agencies to assess and modernize their websites.
- SB 765 relates to the confidentiality of fraud detection and deterrence measure information.
Other notable bills that have been signed or passed without signature include the creation of the Texas Cyber Command and a law that strengthens penalties for vendors that surveil public servants.
