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Municipalities push back on blanket camp rules; YMCAs, advocates press for background checks and staff standards
Summary
YMCAs, camping associations and child-safety advocates urged the Childrens Committee to adopt statewide minimum background checks, training and staff ratios for license-exempt youth programs, while municipal recreation directors warned the bill as written would sweep routine short-term activities into a costly licensing-like regime and remove pathways for teenage staff.
Hartford — A proposed bill that would set statewide minimum background checks, training and staff ratios for license-exempt youth programs drew sharp pushback from municipal recreation directors but found strong support from the YMCA network and camping associations.
John Catalan, director of public policy for the Connecticut Alliance of YMCAs, urged the committee to support HB 6,952 and called background checks and minimum ratios "critical measures to create a safe and secure environment." "There is no price tag on the safety and well-being of Connecticut's children," Catalan said.
Municipal officials countered that the bill as drafted singled out…
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