Texas House Bill 3512, passed by the 89th Legislature and signed by Governor Greg Abbott on 20 June 2025 (effective 1 September 2025), requires all state agency, school district, and local government employees who use a computer for at least 25 percent of their job duties to complete a certified AI awareness training programme annually. Elected and appointed officials at those entities are also covered. The FY 2026 deadline for completion is 31 August 2026; new hires must complete training within 90 days of starting.
The Department of Information Resources (DIR) is required to certify at least five training programmes per year, in consultation with its cybersecurity council and relevant stakeholders. Certified programmes must meet seven required standards, including coverage of AI fundamentals, how public-sector employees use AI, risks and limitations, responsible and ethical use, disparate impact awareness, data handling, and pre- and post-training assessments. Content must be updated annually to maintain certification. The training requirement builds on and complements Texas’s existing annual cybersecurity training mandate for public-sector workers.
Who it affects: All Texas state agency employees, school district employees, and local government staff who use computers ≥25 percent of their duties; elected and appointed officials in those entities.
What is notably missing: The training obligation does not require completion before an employee begins using a specific AI system (no pre-deployment verification gate). No penalty mechanism has been identified for individual employees who fail to complete training; enforcement operates at the agency level through annual reporting to DIR. The mandate covers AI awareness generally — not critical evaluation of AI outputs or ethics in depth — though DIR-certified programmes must address responsible use and fairness.