AUSTIN, Texas — Speaker of the Texas House Dustin Burrows today released the following statement after the Texas House considered its first emergency calendar of the 89th Legislative Session and passed three of Governor Greg Abbott’s emergency items:
“The Texas House continues to gain momentum with the overwhelming passage today of three of Governor Abbott’s emergency items for the session, including measures to strengthen the Texas workforce by expanding career and technology education programs in public schools so students are better prepared to earn certificates and enter high-demand jobs. The House also voted to create the Texas Cyber Command so our state has the tools to better secure critical infrastructure and governmental entities against cybersecurity threats from hostile criminals and foreign actors. I want to thank House members for working to ensure our state remains resilient in the face of outside threats and full of opportunities for our next generation of Texans.”
House Bill 20 by Representative Gary Gates establishes the Applied Sciences Pathway program to help high school juniors and seniors simultaneously earn both a diploma and certificate from institutions of higher education in high-demand trades like welding, cybersecurity, aviation maintenance, and automotive tech.
House Bill 120 by Representative Keith Bell expands and strengthens career and technology education (CTE) programs in Texas public schools to help students better prepare for high-demand fields. It provides free dual credit courses for eligible students, recognizes Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps as an official CTE program and funds military career programs through it, increases funding for high school college and career advisors, and enhances funding formulas to support rural and small districts participating in workforce-focused education partnerships.
House Bill 150 by Representative Giovanni Capriglione creates the Texas Cyber Command, a new state agency within the University of Texas System focused solely on cybersecurity. The command would take over duties from the Texas Department of Information Resources to better protect state agencies, local governments, and critical infrastructure from cyberthreats and oversee incident response, digital forensics, cybersecurity training, and statewide threat monitoring.