Relating to establishing the Higher Education Research Security Council.
SB 1273 establishes the Higher Education Research Security Council to address risks of foreign espionage and interference in academic research at Texas's top research universities. The council, composed of designated security officers from participating "tier one research institutions" (as defined by the Carnegie Classification), will develop security policies, identify best practices, create an accreditation program for secure research, and offer annual training on researcher background checks and security tools. This applies specifically to Texas public and private institutions designated as R1 research universities. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, after being signed by the governor on May 27, 2025.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
May 2025
Introduced Feb 13, 2025
Signed May 27, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Engrossed
→
Enrolled
·
3 edits
·
May 27, 2025
MINOR
The bill text was converted from an 'Engrossed' version to an 'Enrolled' version, which is the final version signed into law. The substantive policy content of the Higher Education Research Security Council remains unchanged, though formatting was standardized and certification signatures from legislative officers were added.
TECHNICAL
The bill title and header were updated from 'Engrossed' to 'Enrolled' to reflect its final status after passing both legislative chambers.
Certification signatures and dates from the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, Secretary of the Senate, Chief Clerk of the House, and the Governor were added to formally certify the bill's passage and approval.
Formatting inconsistencies, including irregular spacing, line breaks, and markup artifacts from the amendment process, were cleaned up to produce a standard, readable bill text.
Floor votes · House May 6, 2025
How they voted
This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
53
Key actions
16
Committee
10
Amendments
6
May 27, 2025
Signed into law
Signed by the Governor
executive
May 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed in the House
lower
May 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed in the Senate
upper
May 12, 2025
Introduced
Senate concurs in House amendment(s)-reported
lower
May 12, 2025
Introduced
Senate concurs in House amendment(s)
upper
May 12, 2025
Introduced
House amendment(s) laid before the Senate
upper
May 6, 2025
Upper · Passed
House passage as amended reported
upper
May 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
May 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to 3rd reading as amended
lower
May 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Amended
lower
Apr 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
Apr 25, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
lower
Apr 17, 2025
Committee
Referred to Higher Education
lower
Apr 17, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
Apr 14, 2025
Introduced
Received from the Senate
lower
Apr 10, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
Mar 27, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
Mar 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
upper
Mar 25, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
Mar 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Left pending in committee
upper
Mar 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
Feb 28, 2025
Committee
Referred to Education K-16
upper
Feb 28, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
2 primary · 4 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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