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Texas lawmakers weigh multiple bills to tighten youth-camp flood and emergency safety standards
Summary
After deadly July flooding in the Hill Country, legislators heard several bills that would change how youth camps are sited, built and regulated, including new building standards, mandatory emergency plans filed with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, parent notifications and limits on lodging in flood-prone areas.
Lawmakers advanced multiple proposals to tighten safety at youth camps after July’s deadly Hill Country floods, focusing on where cabins may be located, how sleeping quarters are built and what emergency plans must be in place.
The measures were presented as complementary fixes rather than competing remedies: Representative Travis McLaughlin said the bills “set clear safety standards for youth camps located within or near floodplains,” adding they will require “evacuation-ready site planning” and ensure sleeping quarters are “kept out of high risk areas.”
Committee members heard from authors and witnesses about three main types of fixes: (1) construction/site rules to keep sleeping areas above flood risk, (2) operational requirements that camps file and coordinate emergency plans with first responders, and (3) disclosure and consent steps for parents.
Representative McLaughlin explained a bill that would require camps to follow “flood aware building standards, keeping sleeping quarters out of high risk areas, and adapt their site layout to ensure safe…
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