Primary Department: Universal Services
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Sindhu Menon, Executive Director & CIO
Secondary Department: Choose an item.
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Financial Authorization
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
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Request for approval of supplemental funding to establish compliance, governance and implementation preparation of Generative AI solutions for Harris County departments.
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Background and Discussion:
On January 8, 2026, Commissioners Court directed Universal Services to comply House Bill 149 - 89(R), known as the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act (TRAIGA), which amends the Texas Business & Commerce Code and Government Code to include safeguards against unlawful discrimination (?552.056), data restrictions (?552.054), and mandatory transparency and post-deployment monitoring (?552.051, ?552.103), by developing a countywide Artificial Intelligence (AI) program that includes a detailed resource plan and an AI strategy based on requests from all departments.
Universal Services seeks approval to establish and fund four contractor positions for the HCUS AI program, which will create a comprehensive governance framework and operational strategy for integrating artificial intelligence across organizational workflows within the County. The AI program is designed to ensure compliance with TRAIGA, which mandates responsible AI governance, risk mitigation, and reporting standards for public entities.
Currently, no formal AI governance stru...
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