By: Hughes S.B. No. 2514
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to establishing the hostile foreign organizations unit at
the Department of Public Safety and training, prohibitions,
reporting requirements, and community outreach designed to combat
foreign influence; creating a criminal offense.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 411.002(a), Government Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(a) The Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas is
an agency of the state to enforce the laws protecting the public
safety and provide for the prevention and detection of crime. The
department is composed of the Texas Rangers, the hostile foreign
organizations unit, the Texas Highway Patrol, the administrative
division, and other divisions that the commission considers
necessary.
SECTION 2. Chapter 411, Government Code, is amended by
adding Subchapter S to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER S. HOSTILE FOREIGN ORGANIZATIONS UNIT
Sec. 411.551. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
(1) "Foreign influence operation" means covert
actions by foreign governments, primarily conducted indirectly
through front organizations, to influence political sentiment or
public discourse in the United States.
(2) "Unit" means the department's hostile foreign
organizations unit established under this subchapter.
Sec. 411.552. HOSTILE FOREIGN ORGANIZATIONS UNIT. The
hostile foreign organizations unit is established in the department
to develop and make recommendations for implementing a strategy to
identify, investigate, and track foreign influence operations in
this state.
Sec. 411.553. UNIT CHIEF AND OTHER EMPLOYEES; ADDITIONAL
DUTIES. The director may:
(1) appoint a unit chief and other unit employees as
necessary to perform unit functions; and
(2) assign to the unit and the unit chief any duties of
another department division that relate to the investigation and
tracking of hostile foreign organizations.
Sec. 411.554. STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT. The unit shall, in
collaboration with federal, state, and local agencies and private
entities, develop a strategy for identifying, investigating, and
tracking:
(1) foreign influence operations in this state;
(2) individuals conducting foreign influence
operations in this state; and
(3) any person who:
(A) is an officer or employee of or is otherwise
associated with a hostile foreign government or other hostile
foreign organization; and
(B) maintains regular contact with an individual
described by Subdivision (2).
Sec. 411.555. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING STRATEGY.
The unit shall develop and report to the director recommendations
for cyber intelligence services and other similar services
necessary to implement the strategy developed under Section
411.554.
Sec. 411.556. SECURE STORAGE OF SENSITIVE INFORMATION. (a)
The unit shall provide for the secure storage of sensitive
information obtained or produced as part of the strategy developed
under Section 411.554.
(b) Information determined as sensitive under Subsection
(a) is not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552.
Sec. 411.557. INFORMATION SHARING. With the approval of
the director, the unit may share information determined sensitive
under Section 411.556(a) with another federal, state, or local law
enforcement agency. The disclosure of information under this
section is not a voluntary disclosure under Section 552.007.
SECTION 3. Chapter 470, Government Code, is amended by
adding Section 470.010 to read as follows:
SECTION 4. Section 571.071, Government Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (e) and (f) to read
as follows:
(a) The commission shall:
(1) provide training by January of each odd-numbered
year for members and members-elect of the legislature concerning
compliance with the laws administered and enforced by the
commission; and
(2) provide, in cooperation with state agencies:
(A)[,] a program of ethics training for state
employees; and
(B) a program of training for state employees on
foreign influence in accordance with Subsection (e).
(e) The commission shall develop a training program to
educate state employees on the influence operations of foreign
adversaries and other hostile foreign actors, including the United
Front Work Department of the central committee of the Chinese
Communist Party and other coordinated foreign influence
operations. The training program must include education on:
(1) known efforts by foreign adversaries to target and
influence subnational governments, including efforts made by the
United Front Work Department;
(2) identifying and recognizing suspected foreign
influence operations;
(3) informational resources promulgated by federal,
state, and nongovernmental organizations on United Front Work
Department activities in this state and adjacent states; and
(4) reporting to the commission and law enforcement
agencies suspected foreign influence operations and other
interactions with persons acting on behalf of a foreign adversary.
(f) In this section:
(1) "Foreign adversary" has the meaning assigned by
Section 572.070.
(2) "Foreign influence operation" has the meaning
assigned by Section 411.551.
SECTION 5. Subchapter C, Chapter 572, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 572.070 to read as follows:
Sec. 572.070. PROHIBITIONS AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
RELATED TO FOREIGN INFLUENCE; CRIMINAL OFFENSE. (a) In this
section, "foreign adversary" means a country identified by the
United States Director of National Intelligence as a country that
poses a risk to the national security of the United States in the
most recent Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence
Community issued pursuant to Section 108B, National Security Act of
1947 (50 U.S.C. Section 3043b).
(b) An employee or volunteer of a state agency or a
political subdivision of this state may not:
(1) accept transportation to or lodging in a country
that is a foreign adversary and that is paid for by the foreign
adversary because of the employee's or volunteer's position with
the state or political subdivision; or
(2) accept a gift or item of value from a person
representing a foreign adversary for any purpose, including to pay
for travel expenses or as reimbursement for the costs of attending a
conference or other event in a country that is a foreign adversary
or that is hosted on behalf of a foreign adversary or a principal of
a foreign adversary.
(c) An employee or volunteer of a state agency or a
political subdivision of this state shall report to the commission,
in the form and manner the commission requires, each interaction,
communication, or meeting the employee or volunteer has with a
person acting on behalf of a foreign adversary not later than the
30th day after the date of the interaction, communication, or
meeting. The commission shall make available a report under this
subsection to the attorney general and the Texas Department of
Public Safety on request.
(d) A person commits an offense if the person violates this
section. An offense under this subsection is a Class A misdemeanor.
SECTION 6. As soon as practicable after the effective date
of this Act but not later than January 1, 2026, the governor shall
appoint the liaison required by Section 470.010, Government Code,
as added by this Act.
SECTION 7. Section 572.070(c), Government Code, as added by
this Act, applies to an interaction, communication, or meeting with
a person acting on behalf of a foreign adversary that occurs on or
after March 1, 2025. A person required to report an interaction,
communication, or meeting under that section that occurred before
the effective date of this Act shall make the report not later than
the 30th day after the effective date of this Act.
SECTION 8. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.