Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1273 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		By: Hughes, et al. S.B. No. 1273
2		-	(Wilson)
3	2
4	3
5	4
6	5
7	6		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	7		AN ACT
9	8		relating to establishing the Higher Education Research Security
10	9		Council.
11	10		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	11		SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is
13	12		amended by adding Section 51.957 to read as follows:
14	13		Sec. 51.957. HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH SECURITY COUNCIL.
15	14		(a) In this section:
16	15		(1) "Council" means the Higher Education Research
17	16		Security Council established under this section.
18	17		(2) "Postsecondary educational institution" means an
19	18		institution of higher education or a private or independent
20	19		institution of higher education, as those terms are defined by
21	20		Section 61.003.
22	21		(3) "Tier one research institution" means a
23	22		postsecondary educational institution in this state designated as
24	23		R1: very high spending and doctorate production in the 2025
25	24		Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
26	25		published by the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary
27	26		Research.
28	27		(b) The Higher Education Research Security Council is
29	28		established to promote secure academic research at tier one
30	29		research institutions while mitigating the risk of foreign
31	30		espionage and interference.
32	31		(c) The council is composed of:
33	32		(1) each research security officer designated under
34	33		Section 51.956; and
35	34		(2) a research security officer designated by each
36	35		private or independent institution of higher education, as defined
37	36		by Section 61.003, that elects to participate in the council.
38	37		(d) A council member serves at the will of the person who
39	38		designated the member.
40	39		(e) A vacancy on the council shall be filled in the same
41	40		manner as the original designation.
42	41		(f) The council member designated under Section 51.956 for
43	42		The Texas A&M University System shall serve as the initial
44	43		presiding officer of the council.
45	44		(g) The council shall:
46	45		(1) identify best practices for a tier one research
47	46		institution to conduct research securely while mitigating the
48	47		threat of foreign espionage and interference;
49	48		(2) develop a research security policy that a tier one
50	49		research institution shall adopt to improve research security;
51	50		(3) establish an accreditation process under which the
52	51		council shall award a tier one research institution an
53	52		accreditation for security excellence;
54	53		(4) promote attendance at the annual academic security
55	54		and counter exploitation program seminar offered by The Texas A&M
56	55		University System; and
57	56		(5) develop and offer an annual training program for
58	57		tier one research institution security officers that includes:
59	58		(A) background and academic history checks of
60	59		researchers; and
61	60		(B) research security and integrity tools and
62	61		software that must be used to prevent the loss of intellectual
63	62		capital.
64	63		(h) The council shall meet at least once each quarter.
65	64		(i) A meeting conducted under Subsection (h) must be in
66	65		person or by video conference call, as determined by the presiding
67	66		officer.
68	67		(j) The council shall prepare and submit to the governor,
69	68		the attorney general's office, and the presiding officer of each
70	69		legislative committee with primary jurisdiction over higher
71	70		education an annual report on the status of research security at
72	71		tier one research institutions and any associated recommendations.
73	72		(k) A report submitted under Subsection (j) is confidential
74	73		and is not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552, Government
75	74		Code.
76	75		(l) The council may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and
77	76		donations for purposes of this section but may not solicit or accept
78	77		a gift, grant, or donation from an entity or country:
79	78		(1) prohibited from participating in federal
80	79		contracts under Section 889, John S. McCain National Defense
81	80		Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Pub. L. No. 115-232);
82	81		(2) identified as a Chinese military company by the
83	82		United States Department of Defense in accordance with Section
84	83		1260H, William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization
85	84		Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Pub. L. No. 116-283);
86	85		(3) owned by the government of a country designated as
87	86		a foreign adversary by the United States secretary of commerce
88	87		under 15 C.F.R. Section 791.4; or
89	88		(4) controlled by a governing or regulatory body
90	89		located in a country described by Subdivision (3).
91	90		SECTION 2. (a) Not later than October 1, 2025, the
92	91		appropriate entities shall designate the members of the Higher
93	92		Education Research Security Council established under Section
94	93		51.957, Education Code, as added by this Act.
95	94		(b) Not later than January 1, 2026, the Higher Education
96	95		Research Security Council established under Section 51.957,
97	96		Education Code, as added by this Act, shall hold its initial
98	97		meeting.
99	98		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.