The Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool

The Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool (TMLIRP) is a non-profit insurance company that provides coverage to over 2,800 local government entities in Texas. TMLIRP was established in 1974 by the Texas Municipal League, which is an association of cities and towns in Texas.  TMLIRP is governed by a board of trustees that is made up of elected officials from member cities and towns. The organization is financially stable and has consistently received high ratings from independent insurance rating agencies.

TMLIRP offers a wide range of insurance coverage to its members, including liability insurance, property insurance, automobile insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, and more. The goal of TMLIRP is to help its members manage risk and protect their assets.

In addition to insurance coverage, TMLIRP also provides a variety of risk management services to its members, including safety training, loss prevention programs, and claims management.

As part of its mission to protect its members, TMLIRP takes cyber security very seriously. TMLIRP provides cyber liability coverage to its members, which includes coverage for data breaches and other cyber security incidents. In addition to insurance coverage, TMLIRP offers a range of resources and services to help its members improve their cyber security posture. These resources include:

• Risk assessments: TMLIRP offers members a comprehensive cyber risk assessment to identify potential vulnerabilities and areas for improvement in their cyber security.

• Training and education: TMLIRP provides a range of training and education resources to help members stay up-to-date on the latest cyber threats and best practices for protecting their systems and data.

• Incident response planning: TMLIRP assists members in developing and implementing incident response plans to ensure they are prepared to respond quickly and effectively in the event of a cyber security incident.

• Cyber security audits: TMLIRP offers members the option to conduct cyber security audits to assess the effectiveness of their existing cyber security controls and identify areas for improvement.

Overall, TMLIRP recognizes that cyber security is a critical issue for its members and is committed to helping them mitigate the risks associated with cyber threats.

Texas Government Code 2054.5191 requires each city to provide cyber security training to its employees who have access to the city’s computer system or database.  The city must complete a form “Cybersecurity Training Certification for Local Governments” accessible on the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) website at dir.texas.gov.  This form by which the city verifies compliance with the training requirement is due August 31, 2023.

TMLIRP’s cybersecurity training is DIR-approved.  There are three options: 1) a 20-minute video with a test on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCRbR2ka_0o; 2) a PowerPoint guide, lesson plan and testing materials available at https://info.tmlirp.org/cyber-security-training-program that may be used to administer training to staff members; and 3) an online version of the training available through the TMLIRP online learning page at https://www.localgovu.com/tmlirp

Related bills to watch:

SB 175 and HB 3538 [identical bills] seek to “prohibit cities and other political subdivisions from spending public funds to hire lobbyists or join nonprofit associations (like Texas Municipal League and Texas Association of Counties) that represent political subdivisions and hire or contract with individuals who are required to register as lobbyists” (March 17, 2023, Number 11 | Texas Municipal League, TX (tml.org)).

Particularly noteworthy is Section 3, which would repeal the enabling statute for the Texas Association of Counties: Texas Local Government Code 89.002 (State Association of Counties).

SB 175 and HB 3538 would effectively prevent small cities from having a voice in the legislature. TML President David Rutledge wrote:

Nearly 85 percent of TML’s membership have a population under 10,000 people. Those small cities and towns, individually, cannot afford to hire the legal and legislative expertise needed to analyze, track, and provide input on thousands of bills during a legislative session. They depend upon the League’s staff to do that. Those small towns are the ones who would be hurt the most by S.B. 175, though all cities would be harmed.

David Rutledge, President of the Texas Municipal League and Mayor of Bridge City, in his letter to the chair of the State Affairs Committee

Please do not rely on this article as legal advice. We can tell you what the law is, but until we know the facts of your given situation, we cannot provide legal guidance. This website is for informational purposes and not for the purposes of providing legal advice.