Members of the Texas House have signed off on a measure establishing a commission to collaborate with state agencies on how to improve the electrical grid.
Senate Bill 75, filed by State Sen. Bob Hall (R–Edgewood), was approved by representatives in a 144-0-2 vote on Wednesday, more than one month after senators unanimously passed the measure.
The measure would create the Texas Grid Security Commission under the state’s Division of Emergency Management, composed of representatives from various state agencies and private corporations, such as power generation and utility companies.
State Rep. Terry Wilson (R–Georgetown), who carried SB 75 in the House, emphasized while presenting Hall’s proposal this week that it would help protect the grid “from all vulnerabilities—both man-made and natural.”
Under the measure, commissioners would evaluate potential hazards to the state’s power grid and report them to its operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. These hazards include weather events, cyberattacks, electromagnetic threats, and supply chain vulnerabilities.
Commissioners would also deliver annual reports on those evaluations and recommend resilience standards for municipalities and the grid’s critical infrastructure.
In addition, they would evaluate the resiliency of nuclear generation sites and engage the Texas National Guard for cybersecurity first responder training.
By December 1, 2026, commissioners must deliver a report to lawmakers on their recommended standards and plan for protecting critical infrastructure from hazards, including estimated costs and the timeline for implementation.
Following his presentation of the measure, Wilson successfully moved to adopt an amendment that fixed several drafting errors in the measure.
Another amendment, proposed by State Rep. Shelby Slawson (R–Stephenville), was approved by lawmakers and requires energy providers to participate in a “tabletop exercise” with law enforcement.
An analysis by the Legislative Budget Board predicted no significant fiscal impact for the proposal, as both the resilience planning and interagency coordination could be absorbed using existing state resources.
House and Senate lawmakers’ movement on SB 75 comes after years of grid reliability questions. Still, Hall, the measure’s author, has emphasized the importance of grid security for some time.
“Recent things that have happened in the world help reinforce the fact that an attack on our grid system is very serious—the growing physical threats around our country just get bigger and bigger,” the lawmaker warned citizens last year.
SB 75 recognizes in its preamble the devastating 2011 and 2021 power outages, which caused loss of life, economic harm, and infrastructure damage, as the reason for its drafting.
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