Texas Compliance: TX-RAMP & HB 300 in Galveston
Selling cloud technology to a Texas state agency or public university means TX-RAMP. Holding Texas medical records means HB 300, which reaches further than the federal rule does. Sentinel-Pros prepares both, so a public sector deal does not stall in procurement and a state privacy duty does not go unnoticed until an enforcement letter arrives.
The Problem
Galveston sits beside one of the largest state institutions on the Gulf Coast, and vendors usually discover the consequences late. A cloud product sold into a University of Texas System institution, a county office, a school district, or a community college triggers a state cloud security certification requirement that has nothing to do with SOC 2 or HIPAA. Procurement raises it after the demo, the champion inside the institution cannot waive it, and the deal simply waits. On the privacy side, Texas defines a covered entity far more broadly than federal law, so island businesses that merely come into possession of medical records, employers, billing services, marketing firms, and some hospitality and insurance operations, carry state training and disclosure duties nobody has told them about.
The Solution
We separate the two problems and work whichever one is blocking revenue first. For TX-RAMP we determine which level applies to your offering and the data it holds, assemble the control documentation and evidence, and work the certification path with the institution information security office rather than around it. Where an existing federal or state authorization can shorten the route, we use it instead of rebuilding from scratch. For HB 300 we establish whether Texas treats you as a covered entity, build and document the training, update notice and authorization language, and set electronic access and disclosure practices to the state standard. Both engagements run remotely, and Galveston is close enough that we attend institutional security reviews in person when that moves things along.
Core Responsibilities
TX-RAMP
HB 300
Public sector selling
Engagement Process
Deal and data review
We look at who is buying, what data the product will hold, and how it is deployed. Those three facts decide almost everything about which state requirement applies and how heavy the lift will be.
Determine the requirement
We confirm the applicable certification level and whether the Texas medical records statute reaches your business, then tell your sales team plainly what has to be true before the contract can be signed.
Build documentation and controls
We close the control gaps, write the documentation, and record the training. Most vendors have more of the substance in place than they expect and are missing the evidence that proves it.
Submit and support
We submit through the correct channel, respond to reviewer questions, and stay with the file until a decision is issued. We also keep the package current so the next public sector deal moves faster.
More for Galveston Businesses
Common Questions
We already hold a SOC 2. Does that satisfy TX-RAMP?
It helps and it shortens the work, because much of the underlying evidence carries over, but it is not a substitute. TX-RAMP is a state certification with its own process and its own reviewers. Treat the SOC 2 as a head start on documentation rather than a finished answer.
Our buyer is a University of Texas System institution. Which requirement applies?
Texas public institutions of higher education fall inside the state cloud security regime, so a cloud offering sold into one generally needs certification at the level matching the data it will hold. The institution information security office decides the classification, which is why we engage them early rather than guessing.
How is HB 300 different from HIPAA?
The Texas statute uses a broader definition of who is covered, so businesses that are not providers or business associates under federal law can still be regulated here. It also adds specific employee training obligations and its own rules for electronic access to records. Compliance with the federal rule alone does not close it.
We are not in healthcare but we hold employee medical records. Are we caught by this?
Possibly, and that surprises a lot of owners. The Texas definition reaches organizations that come into possession of protected health information in the course of business, which can include employers, benefits administrators, and service firms. We give you a written determination rather than an opinion in a hallway.
Can you guarantee we get certified?
No, and treat anyone who does with caution. The decision belongs to the state and to the institution reviewing the submission. What we can do is make the package complete and accurate the first time, which is where most delays actually come from.
Ready to get started?
BOOK A CONSULTATIONTexas Compliance: TX-RAMP & HB 300 for Galveston, Texas
Public institutions are unusually concentrated in Galveston for a city this size. UTMB Health is part of the University of Texas System, which places it squarely inside the state cloud security regime. Texas A and M University at Galveston, Galveston College, Galveston County offices, the City of Galveston, the local school district, and the Port of Galveston, which operates as a public entity governed by a board, all buy software and services on the island. For a local technology or services company that concentration is both an advantage and a trap. The advantage is proximity, since your best reference customer may be a mile from your office. The trap is that public buyers cannot simply sign a commercial agreement, and their security offices apply state requirements that a private hospital or a cruise line would never mention. The medical records statute catches a wider net still. Medical research, occupational health services for port and shipyard workers, employer clinics, insurance administration tied to carriers headquartered here including American National, and the billing and coding firms that grew up around UTMB all touch Texas medical records. Many of these organizations assume the federal rule is the whole story. Texas obligations, including who must be trained and how quickly records must be produced electronically when a patient asks, sit on top of it and are enforced separately by the state.
See the statewide overview of Texas Compliance: TX-RAMP & HB 300 or all services available in Galveston.