86R1489 JCG-D
By: Blanco, Capriglione, Dean H.B. No. 351
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to emergency management for cyber attacks against this
state.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 418.002, Government Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 418.002. PURPOSES. The purposes of this chapter are
to:
(1) reduce vulnerability of people and communities of
this state to damage, injury, and loss of life and property
resulting from natural or man-made catastrophes, riots, [or]
hostile military or paramilitary action, or cyber attacks;
(2) prepare for prompt and efficient rescue, care, and
treatment of persons victimized or threatened by disaster;
(3) provide a setting conducive to the rapid and
orderly restoration and rehabilitation of persons and property
affected by disasters;
(4) clarify and strengthen the roles of the governor,
state agencies, the judicial branch of state government, and local
governments in prevention of, preparation for, response to, and
recovery from disasters;
(5) authorize and provide for cooperation in disaster
mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery;
(6) authorize and provide for coordination of
activities relating to disaster mitigation, preparedness,
response, and recovery by agencies and officers of this state, and
similar state-local, interstate, federal-state, and foreign
activities in which the state and its political subdivisions may
participate;
(7) provide an emergency management system embodying
all aspects of predisaster preparedness and postdisaster response;
(8) assist in mitigation of disasters caused or
aggravated by inadequate planning for and regulation of public and
private facilities and land use; and
(9) provide the authority and mechanism to respond to
an energy emergency.
SECTION 2. Section 418.004, Government Code, is amended by
amending Subdivision (1) and adding Subdivision (1-a) to read as
follows:
(1) "Cyber attack" means an attempt to damage,
disrupt, or gain unauthorized access to a computer, computer
network, or computer system.
(1-a) "Disaster" means the occurrence or imminent
threat of widespread or severe damage, injury, or loss of life or
property resulting from any natural or man-made cause, including
fire, flood, earthquake, wind, storm, wave action, oil spill or
other water contamination, volcanic activity, epidemic, air
contamination, blight, drought, infestation, explosion, riot,
hostile military or paramilitary action, cyber attack, extreme
heat, other public calamity requiring emergency action, or energy
emergency.
SECTION 3. Section 418.0195(b), Government Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(b) The governor may order the Department of Information
Resources to disconnect a computer network from the Internet in the
event of a cyber attack or other substantial external threat to the
computer network.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2019.