United States of America: Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act was reintroduced to State House as HB 149 establishing Artificial Intelligence Council

On 14 March 2024, the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act was reintroduced to the State House as HB 149, superseding the HB 1709 Bill of the same name introduced on 23 December 2024. While HB 1709 granted the Artificial Intelligence Council broad rulemaking and advisory powers over both public and private sector AI systems, HB 149 revises the Council’s role to focus exclusively on state oversight, ethical evaluations, and advisory reporting. The Council will now monitor AI use within government agencies, assess gaps in law, and review the AI regulatory sandbox program. Although it no longer issues binding regulations, it retains powers to publish reports on ethics, privacy, and potential regulatory capture. The Council remains administratively attached to the Department of Information Resources, with membership composed of appointed experts, legislators, and public representatives.