Committee substitute for HB 1500 would extend and reshape DIR, tighten cybersecurity requirements and add procurement supports

Senators reviewed a committee substitute to House Bill 1500, the Sunset-related bill for the Department of Information Resources (DIR), that would continue DIR for 12 years and layer several structural, cybersecurity and procurement changes into statute.

Sponsor Senator Parker said the substitute responds to the Sunset Advisory Commission's recommendations and “continues DIR for 12 years through September first of 2037,” restructures the governing board to add nonvoting customer representatives, abolishes two outdated statutory advisory committees and directs DIR to reestablish advisory groups focused on cybersecurity and shared services. Parker said the substitute also clarifies that higher-education institutions are excluded from certain state agency seats on the board because they already have a dedicated representative.

On cybersecurity, the substitute would require every state agency to obtain a DIR-selected information security assessment and a penetration test at least once every two years, and it would streamline cybersecurity reporting to reduce redundancy and clarify deadlines. Parker said DIR would “evaluate a sample of agencies' information resources deployment review responses for accuracy” and would develop additional procurement trainings and launch a procurement-as-a-service pilot to help agencies with complex technology contracts.

The bill also would transfer the eGrants program from DIR to the Comptroller of Public Accounts, update archaic telecommunications language (removing references to payphones and yellow pages) and modernize statistical and compliance provisions in standard sunset language. Sponsor and witnesses praised Sunset staff and DIR for their work during review; Rahul Srinivasan of Texas 2036, testifying in support, said the reforms “strengthen DIR's role in cybersecurity readiness and response” and applauded the procurement training provisions.

Committee members asked questions but recorded no final action; the committee closed public testimony and left HB 1500 pending for further consideration.