Two Texas House committees take up data centers and AI in health care on August 19th and August 20th
The House Committee on State Affairs met on August 19th, 2026 on a charge covering data center development in Texas. That charge names SB 6 and the large load batch study process the grid operator proposed. The same notice carries a second charge on the regulatory and planning processes for the proposed 765 kV transmission lines. The House Committee on Public Health meets the following day on a charge covering artificial intelligence in health care. That hearing takes invited testimony only, and the notice states online public comment is open on the artificial intelligence charge. Both sit in the interim, before the 90th Legislature convenes.
How to take part
Both notices are posted by the Legislature and give the room and the start time. The State Affairs hearing on August 19th took invited and public testimony, limited to two minutes a witness, with registration closing at 10:00 am that day. The Public Health hearing on August 20th takes invited testimony only, so the way in is the written one. Texas residents may submit comments electronically on the artificial intelligence in health care charge until that hearing is adjourned.
Where
Statewide. This decision applies across Texas rather than to a named county.
Timeline
- hearing
House Committee on State Affairs, data centers charge
- hearing
House Committee on Public Health, artificial intelligence charge
- Today
How this decision moved
One dated line per check, oldest first. A line that says nothing changed means somebody looked and it had not.
- 2026-08-19
Both hearings still stand. The Legislative Reference Library's posting for the week of August 17th lists the State Affairs data centers charge on August 19th. It lists the Public Health artificial intelligence charge on August 20th.
- 2026-08-20
Both hearings are confirmed against the Legislature's own notices. The State Affairs notice of August 19th carries a second charge. It covers the regulatory and planning processes for the proposed 765 kV transmission lines, which the earlier record did not name. It took invited and public testimony, limited to two minutes a witness, with registration closing at 10:00 am that day. The Public Health notice for August 20th takes invited testimony only. The written comment is the one route a Texan has on the artificial intelligence in health care charge, and it stays open until the hearing is adjourned.
- 2026-08-23
Checked and unchanged. The Legislative Reference Library's posting for that week still lists the State Affairs hearing on August 19th and the Public Health hearing on August 20th. Both dates have now passed.
- 2026-08-26
The comment window closed on August 20th.
- 2026-08-29
The comment window closed on August 20th. Both charges are unchanged, one on data center development and the grid operator's large load study process, and one on artificial intelligence in health care.
- 2026-09-01
The paired House hearings on data centers and artificial intelligence in health care have concluded.
- 2026-09-02
The comment window closed on August 20th.
- 2026-09-05
Both House committees have held their sittings and neither has published a recommendation. What either concluded is still unconfirmed.
- 2026-09-08
Both House committees have now held their sittings on data centers and on AI in health care. Neither has published a report from them.
- 2026-09-09
The comment window closed on August 20th. Both House committees have held their sittings and neither has issued a report.
- 2026-09-12
The comment window closed on August 20th.
- 2026-09-13
The comment window closed on August 20th.
- 2026-09-16
Both House committees have now held the sittings the notices set, on data centers and on artificial intelligence in health care. Neither has published a report out of them.
- 2026-09-19
Both hearings were held and neither committee has published a report out of them. What the posted notice for that week said about the charges is unconfirmed.
- 2026-09-23
Both committees have now heard their subject and neither has published a recommendation.
- 2026-09-26
The comment window closed on August 20th. Both committees have heard their subjects and neither has published a recommendation.
- 2026-09-29
The comment window closed on August 20th. Neither House committee has published what it concluded about data centers or AI in health care.
The evidence
Every fact above rests on one of these. The words are the source's own.
Charge: Data Centers: Study the development of data centers in Texas, including its importance to global competitiveness and national security.Legislative Reference Library of Texas, Interim Hearings, Week of August 17, 2026 Primary source, official · lrl.texas.gov
Study the implementation of SB 6 and the Large Load Batch Study Process proposed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, as it relates to data centers, and identify how grid-connected data center facilities and co-located resources can support grid resilience and reliability.Legislative Reference Library of Texas, State Affairs charge text Primary source, official · lrl.texas.gov
Charge: Artificial Intelligence Use in Health Care: Study the use of artificial intelligence in the health care system to improve access, quality, and efficiency of care, while evaluating potential risks to patient safety, privacy, and access to care for Texans.Legislative Reference Library of Texas, Public Health charge text Primary source, official · lrl.texas.gov
(RE: Directing the PUC and ERCOT to take certain actions to shield customers from data infrastructure costs), Governor Greg Abbott, August 3, 2026Legislative Reference Library of Texas, resources listed under the State Affairs data center charge Primary source, official · lrl.texas.gov
August 19, 2026 House Committee on Delivery of Government Efficiency House Committee on State Affairs August 20, 2026 House Committee on Public HealthLegislative Reference Library of Texas, hearings calendar for the week Primary source, official · lrl.texas.gov
Review the regulatory and planning processes regarding the proposed 765-kV transmission lines.House of Representatives, Notice of Public Hearing, Committee on State Affairs, August 19th, 2026 Primary source, official · capitol.texas.gov
Public Testimony may be limited to two (2) minutes per witness.House of Representatives, Notice of Public Hearing, Committee on State Affairs, August 19th, 2026 Primary source, official · capitol.texas.gov
The Committee on Public Health will hear invited testimony only on the following interim charges:House of Representatives, Notice of Public Hearing, Committee on Public Health, August 20th, 2026 Primary source, official · capitol.texas.gov
Online submission of public comments will be available on the following topics:House of Representatives, Notice of Public Hearing, Committee on Public Health, August 20th, 2026 Primary source, official · capitol.texas.gov
Artificial Intelligence Use in Health Care: Study the use of artificial intelligence in the health care system to improve access, quality, and efficiency of care, while evaluating potential risks to patient safety, privacy, and access to care for Texans.House of Representatives, Notice of Public Hearing, Committee on Public Health, August 20th, 2026 Primary source, official · capitol.texas.gov
Questions about this decision
Answered from the record itself. Every answer is assembled from stored fields, so an answer the record has no basis for is left out rather than guessed.
What is this decision?
The House Committee on State Affairs met on August 19th, 2026 on a charge covering data center development in Texas. That charge names SB 6 and the large load batch study process the grid operator proposed. The same notice carries a second charge on the regulatory and planning processes for the proposed 765 kV transmission lines. The House Committee on Public Health meets the following day on a charge covering artificial intelligence in health care. That hearing takes invited testimony only, and the notice states online public comment is open on the artificial intelligence charge. Both sit in the interim, before the 90th Legislature convenes.
Who decides it?
Texas House of Representatives decides. The record names the deciding body for every entry it carries.
Can the public take part?
Both notices are posted by the Legislature and give the room and the start time. The State Affairs hearing on August 19th took invited and public testimony, limited to two minutes a witness, with registration closing at 10:00 am that day. The Public Health hearing on August 20th takes invited testimony only, so the way in is the written one. Texas residents may submit comments electronically on the artificial intelligence in health care charge until that hearing is adjourned.
Where in Texas does it apply?
It applies statewide.
Has it been decided?
It has been decided. The dates on the item page carry when.
What happens next?
No future date is on the record. The last dated step on it was hearing on August 20th.
When did it start?
The earliest date on its record is August 19th, 2026.
What kind of decision is it?
It is filed under state policy.
What sources back it?
Three sources back it. Three of them are primary.
Is it on the ERCOT grid?
No. It sits outside the ERCOT interconnection.
When was it last checked?
Every fact on it was last verified against its source on September 29th, 2026.
Cite this
Texas AI Docket, Two Texas House committees take up data centers and AI in health care on August 19th and August 20th. Tracked since August 19th, 2026. Last verified September 29th, 2026. https://texasaidocket.com/item/tx-2026-0073/. Reuse permitted under CC BY 4.0 with attribution. The same entry is in the docket JSON as item tx-2026-0073.
Beat
Filed under State policy, with every other decision on that beat.