New Texas summer camp safety requirements challenged by state leaders
DALLAS - Two prominent Texas leaders are already calling on the Department of State Health Services to ease some of the youth summer camp requirements that lawmakers passed during the last session.
The new state requirements have put hundreds of summer camp operations in limbo.
What we know:
Essentially, the same lawmakers who pushed for the state’s new summer camp requirements following the deadly flooding at Camp Mystic are now pushing for a loophole that will allow camps to operate in violation of the new law for one more summer.
The backstory:
Just two months after devastating floodwaters killed 25 campers and two counselors at Camp Mystic, Texas lawmakers passed sweeping legislation in hopes of improving youth camp safety.
The bill had widespread legislative support, providing requirements such as a written emergency plan, safety training for employees, and the installation of early warning systems for areas prone to flash flooding.
But the new law has created some unintended consequences for camp operators, many of which are nonprofit or faith-based organizations with limited funding.
For example, the law requires camps to have end-to-end fiber optic internet, along with a backup option. Many camps are now struggling to get utility companies to agree to run lines out to their rural properties and some have received price quotes of up to $2 million.
Texas summer camps face potential closures over strict new safety regulations
Texas summer camps are facing a race against time and potential closure as they struggle to comply with strict new state safety laws and costly infrastructure mandates just weeks before the season begins.
What's new:
This week, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows issued a joint statement saying they are aware of the problem.
"We recognize some camps have been unable to meet the redundant internet requirement," the statement said in part. "We also recognize that there may be means other than fiber… which would satisfy the purpose and spirit of the law."
The statement goes on to convey their support for DSHS to allow camps to operate this summer if they meet the law’s other requirements for things like an emergency action plan.
What they're saying:
Texas Rep. Brian Harrison of Waxahachie was one of the few Republican lawmakers to vote against the bill, predicting it would shut camps down.
"What it effectively was, it was the biggest takeover by the government of camps, including countless, hundreds of Christian camps in the history of Texas," he said.
Harrison said Patrick and Burrows’s statement doesn’t solve the real problem. But he thinks a special session to amend or repeal the law could as soon as this week.
What's next:
As of May 1, just nine camps in the state have had their applications approved and licenses renewed.
Sky Ranch, a popular summer camp for youth in North Texas, issued a statement to parents saying DSHS has indicated that camps will be allowed to continue with their previous license.
One lawmaker also noted that there is a loophole for camps this summer. The law allows for an appeals process that takes two to three months, and during that time camps can continue to operate.
DSHS has not returned FOX 4’s multiple requests for comment or confirmation.
The Source: The information in this story comes from statements from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Speaker Dustin Burrows, along with an interview with Texas Rep. Brian Harrison of Waxahachie.