Hughes Bill Makes Public Employees Report Every Foreign Adversary Contact

The text as introduced · 1,189 words

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.