HB 127

"🔴 HB 127 – Looks Like National Security. Operates Like a Black Box.

Texas just passed HB 127. On the surface, it says it's about keeping foreign adversaries out of our universities.

And in fairness, most of us agree — we don’t want hostile governments stealing research or manipulating academic programs. That concern is real.

But the way this bill tackles it? It goes far beyond security. It creates a powerful structure that runs in the dark, shields itself from public view, and shifts control away from local institutions into politically aligned hands.

Here’s what it actually does:

1. It creates a new “Research Security Council” with statewide influence.
This council will write the rules, define the risks, and even accredit universities as “security compliant.” But it’s led by Texas A&M and doesn’t answer to voters, lawmakers, or the public.

2. It declares the council’s reports confidential — permanently.
Even though this council will shape how research, hiring, and contracts work across the state, their decisions are exempt from Texas open records laws. That means the public can’t find out what’s happening behind the curtain.

3. It makes every public university enforce the rules — on themselves.
Universities must investigate their own faculty, screen their own students, monitor their own international travel, and report any concerns — all without independent review. No third-party oversight. No external auditor.

4. It gives the state power to fine or ban vendors — with no appeals process.
If a contractor is accused of lying about foreign connections, they can be barred from all state contracts and hit with massive fines. There’s no built-in path to challenge the decision. One error or misunderstanding, and a small business could be blacklisted.

5. It uses vague language to trigger serious consequences.
People can be screened or rejected for having “ties to a foreign adversary” or promoting an “agenda harmful to state security” — without those terms being clearly defined. That opens the door to profiling, misinterpretation, or political targeting.

Who benefits?
✅ Texas A&M, which gains centralized control over statewide security policy
✅ Politically aligned national security think tanks that helped shape the bill
✅ Private screening contractors and compliance vendors who now have a guaranteed customer base

Who loses?
❌ International students and researchers, who face suspicion without recourse
❌ Smaller universities that must absorb these costs without funding
❌ Texans who believe in transparency, due process, and local autonomy

Here’s the deeper issue:
This bill tells Texans to be afraid of foreign adversaries. But it also seals the files, centralizes power, and removes public checks on who gets targeted and who gets protected.

When the people warning us about the threat also get to hide their decisions from scrutiny — that’s when we need to stop and ask who this system is really built to serve.

What this sets up:
HB 127 creates a blueprint. It sets the precedent that “security” can justify secrecy, unchecked enforcement, and permanent compliance obligations — all without new funding or public oversight. That precedent won’t stay in higher ed.

Expect similar models to show up in:
➡️ Public health data handling
➡️ School curriculum “content risk” review
➡️ NGO and nonprofit contracting laws
➡️ Municipal surveillance standards

Bottom line:
HB 127 isn’t just about guarding research. It builds a control structure behind closed doors — with no clear limits, no independent review, and no guaranteed public voice.

This isn’t how you build trust. It’s how you centralize power while telling people you’re keeping them safe.

Quick ask, y’all — likes help the algorithm, but shares are what get the truth out.

If this bill affects you, your kids, your patients, your neighbors — please share it.

Too many Texans don’t know what’s being signed into law. And if we don’t share it, they won’t hear it. These bills move quietly. The consequences don’t.

It’s not about going viral. It’s about making sure the people who need to know — do know.

So if this post made you pause, think, or get fired up… don’t just like it. Send it. Share it. Say something.

We don’t get transparency unless we demand it together.

🔴 #HB127 #TexasPolicy #AcademicFreedom #TransparencyMatters #WatchTheDetails"