Bill

HB 8

85(R) - 2017
House Government Transparency & Operation
Senate Business & Commerce
House Government Transparency & Operation
Senate Business & Commerce
Security
State Agencies

Vote Recommendation

Yes
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Positive
  • Neutral

Author(s)

Giovanni Capriglione

Sponsor(s)

Jane Nelson

Bill Caption

Relating to cybersecurity for state agency information resources.

Fiscal Notes

The statewide fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined at this time, but is expected to result in a cost to the state.

Bill Analysis

HB 8 would amend the Government Code to add a series of provisions to address cybersecurity. A summary but not an exhaustive list of the bill's provisions follows:

The bill would allow a governmental body to conduct closed meetings to deliberate certain security related information which should not be discussed in open meetings. The bill would require state agencies to redact certain confidential information from contracts posted on the internet. This bill would establish an information sharing and analysis center to provide a forum for state agencies to share information regarding cybersecurity threats, best practices, and remediation strategies.

State agency vulnerability reporting would be updated to include printers and interfaces to computer systems including mobile and peripheral devices. Notification requirements would be established in the event of a breach or suspected breach of cybersecurity of state agencies. The bill would require annual reviews of agency information security plans by the executive head and information security officer of each state agency.

The bill would establish a cybersecurity council and provide specific guidelines for its membership and duties. The bill would require that at least once ever two years each state agency shall conduct an information security assessment of the agency's information resources systems, network systems, digital data storage systems, digital data security measures, and information resources vulnerabilities. The bill would explicitly prohibit a stage agency from selling a person's internet browsing history, a person's application usage history, or the functional equivalent of these things.

Vote Recommendation Notes

This bill supports our limited government principle by taking measures to ensure the sensitive data collected of Texans is secure from malicious hacks. It is a core responsibility of government to protect the security of its citizens. We support HB 8.

Organizations Supporting

Texas Association of Business
Texas Association of Manufacturers
Texas Business Leadership Council
Texas Conservative Coalition