HB 150

"🔴 HB 150 – A New Cyber Command Is Coming to Texas. But It’s Built Without Guardrails.

Texas created a brand-new cybersecurity agency this session. It's called the Texas Cyber Command...and on paper, it sounds like a bold step toward protecting our infrastructure from digital attacks.

But behind the headline? HB 150 quietly restructures who holds the power, who gets the contracts, and who gets cut out of the process entirely.

Here’s what it says it does:
✅ Centralizes state cybersecurity into one powerful agency
✅ Allows that agency to protect not just state systems, but also private companies considered “critical infrastructure”
✅ Lets it take over emergency response, run digital forensics, and train other agencies
✅ Gives it broad authority to make rules and set standards for cyber defense across the state

All of that might sound like a good idea...until you look at how it’s structured.

Here’s what it actually changes:

One appointee gets total control.
The entire agency is run by a single Chief appointed by the Governor. No board. No citizen oversight. No legislative checks once it’s running.

Procurement rules? Bypassed.
In a “cybersecurity emergency,” the Command doesn’t have to follow Texas’ purchasing laws. That means it can award contracts directly...no bidding, no transparency, no public review.

Private money can flow in.
The agency can accept grants, donations, and gifts from “any source”...including private companies who might benefit from Command contracts later.

Non-citizens are banned from working with it.
Even lawful permanent residents with high-level cybersecurity training are blocked from serving, contracting, or even volunteering. That’s not just exclusionary...it’s possibly unconstitutional.

Funding? Unstable.
The Command takes over permanent responsibilities, but there’s no permanent funding. It’s expected to scrape together grants, contracts, and cost-recovery fees...meaning the public doesn’t know who’s really footing the bill, or what strings are attached.

Who gains from all this?
✅ Cybersecurity vendors like Armis, Socure, Silotech, and QUX Technologies...all of whom supported the bill and could land direct contracts
✅ Port San Antonio and affiliated tech clusters, which are positioned to host and benefit from the Command’s physical footprint
✅ Private groups like TechNet and the Texas Public Policy Foundation, who want leaner state bureaucracy but stronger ties between government and the private sector

And who gets left out?
❌ Local governments that may not be able to afford or influence Command services
❌ Watchdogs and taxpayers, who lose visibility into how contracts are awarded
❌ Legal immigrants and green card holders...who are blocked from participating without cause
❌ Everyday Texans...because this Command can make big moves with very little public input

This bill doesn’t just create a cybersecurity agency...it creates a command structure that operates without the usual checks we expect from public institutions.

It’s a model built on centralized power, privatized risk, and bypassed transparency. And unless that structure is corrected in future sessions, it sets the stage for more agencies run by appointees, more emergency loopholes, and fewer safeguards on how your money gets spent.

This isn’t fear-mongering. It’s a real-world shift in how Texas governs digital security...and who gets a seat at that table.

Bottom line:
HB 150 hands over sweeping authority to a single office, removes procurement safeguards, and closes the door on many who could help...without ensuring long-term funding or public accountability. In trying to protect Texas from cyber threats, it opens us up to new risks of unchecked power.

#HB150 #CyberCommand #TexasPolicy #ProcurementWatch #FollowTheContracts

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."