HOUSTON – Texas lawmakers passed two bills that will bring sweeping change to how youth camps are regulated.
House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1 passed late Wednesday and are scheduled to be signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday.
What are the new rules?
The bills require camps to develop emergency response plans that cover a range of scenarios, from flooding to fires.
These plans now must be approved by the Department of State Health Services (DSHS), which licenses and inspects camps.
Camps were required to have emergency plans to obtain a license, but the prior law was not specific as to what these plans should include and DSHS inspectors only verified camps had a plan, they didn’t evaluate the effectiveness of the plans.
To help develop standards for emergency plans, a multidisciplinary team will be created to advise the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), which oversees DSHS.
The team will include DSHS, The Texas Division of Emergency Management, the Texas Fire Marshal’s Office, Parks and Wildlife, the Texas Water Development Board, Texas A&M’s Forest Service and the Department of Public Safety.
The new laws now prohibit any cabins from being placed in a floodplain.
There are two exceptions to this law, buildings in a floodplain that are more than 1,000 ft. away from a floodway and those in a floodplain because of proximity to a still body of water not connected to a river or stream. Cabins in a floodplain must have emergency ladders that provide access to the roof.
Other requirements include evacuation routes posted in every cabin, lighted evacuation routes and mandatory training for staff and campers on emergency plans.
Camps must also now have weather radios and redundant internet connection to ensure all weather and emergency alerts are received. The new laws also call for camps to install an audible warning system.
KPRC 2 reached out to several camps in Kerry County about the new laws and how it would specifically impact the layout of their properties.
So far, only Camp Mystic responded with a written statement:
“Today we are writing to reaffirm our support for legislation that will make camps and communities along the Guadalupe River safer. Regardless of the provisions of Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 1, our planning and procedures will reflect the catastrophic 1,000-year weather event that occurred on July 4, including never having campers return to cabins that had floodwaters inside them, despite the fact that all cabin floors are already outside of the 100-year flood plain. We continue to pray for the Camp Mystic families and all those in our community who, like us, lost loved ones on July 4. We applaud the families of the 27 precious campers and counselors for their meaningful advocacy and your leadership in advancing this important legislation.”
SEE HB 1:
SEE SB 1:
Not far enough?
House Bill 265 was also filed during the second special session of the Texas legislature. This bill addressed who can serve on the Texas Youth Camp Advisory Committee.
This influential committee advises the state on the rules and regulations imposed on youth camps.
“The Youth Advisory Committee is made up of nine members, seven of which are camp owners, two of which are camp adjacent. That is not the proper way to structure oversight,” said Rania Mankarious, CEO of Crime Stoppers of Houston.
Mankarious has been advocating for a change in who can serve on this committee since 2018, following the sexual abuse of a camper.
The bill, filed by State Rep. Lacey Hull/(R) Dist. 138, increased the number of committee members from nine to eleven.
The proposed law limited the number of camp operators who can serve on the committee and required the inclusion of a variety of child health and safety experts.
“Critical members that can go and get to the heart of camp safety as opposed to what’s best for the camp’s bottom line,” said Mankarious. “We feel that that must change.”
Hull’s bill also repealed a portion of the Health and Safety Code that allows camps to avoid any record of a violation, or incur a fine, if a violation is corrected at the time of inspection.
Hull’s bill gained wide support and easily passed the Texas House.
The bill did not gain traction in the Senate.
Hull said she did not get a specific reason as to why her bill did not make it to a committee hearing in the Senate but promises to refile the measure during the next legislative session.
“Last night the House adjourned its second special session. I am grateful that HB 1 and SB 1 passed into law that focus on emergency planning requirements for youth camps in light of the tragedy on July 4th and as a result of the dedicated advocacy of the parents of Heaven’s 27. No child will ever sleep in a floodway at summer camp ever again. These bills do have some other safety reforms, like requiring a review of camp staff safety ratios and the creation of a parent complaint portal for non-compliance with safety rules, but I am disappointed my own bill to provide further safety reviews and reforms died in the Senate. HB 265 would have required a review of all camp regulations, and most importantly restructured the youth camp safety committee to bring in child health and safety experts to advise on the regulations. Unfortunately, this bill died as SB 1 and HB 1 took a huge effort to negotiate to pass, and in the end, there wasn’t the appetite for additional reforms this session,” Hull wrote in a statement to KPRC 2. “I’m committed to continuing to advocate for camp safety in the interim and in the next session. I want to thank all the safety advocates who have brought these issues to light and have been advocating for change for many years and will continue to fight for change.”
There are currently three vacancies on the Youth Camp Advisory Committee and the application period to fill those spots closed in May.
Hull sent a letter to HHSC and DSHS on Thursday, asking for the application period to be reopened since it closed prior to the flood and the debate over improving camp safety.
The request is currently being reviewed.