House passes Sarah Marsh 'Heavens 27' Camp Safety Act after unanimous vote
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
The House adopted HB 381, the Sarah Marsh Heavens 27 Camp Safety Act, unanimously after sponsor Irving Faulkner described requirements including EMA-issued emergency-preparedness licenses for overnight camps, a public registry, evacuation and training standards, and criminal-background checks.
The Alabama House unanimously passed HB 381, the Sarah Marsh Heavens 27 Camp Safety Act, following floor debate and a committee substitute that clarified responsibilities for leased facilities and advisory-council membership. The final recorded vote on the substitute and floor amendment was 104'0.
Sponsor Rep. Irving Faulkner, who opened the special-order presentation, said the bill was prompted by a Texas camp tragedy and aims to close gaps in emergency communications, evacuation planning, training and oversight. "What this bill does is it puts in common-sense requirements on our summer camps," Faulkner said, listing the bill's central provisions: an emergency-preparedness license for overnight camps issued by the state EMA, a publicly accessible registry of licensed camps, required emergency action plans and mandatory safety systems, routine training and drills for staff, criminal-background checks, and a prohibition on constructing cabins in flood plains.
Members asked for and received clarifications: the license applies only to overnight camps and does not extend to day camps' routine pickup/drop-off activities, the advisory council will include representatives from YMCA and Scouting America, and committee changes tightened language about leased facilities and flood-plain provisions. Rep. Jackson and others praised the bill but also raised questions about federal emergency response and how local and federal roles interact.
A committee substitute was adopted; Faulkner offered a floor amendment to add a Scouting America representative to the advisory council, which passed by voice/record (103'0 per transcript). Final passage of the committee substitute as amended passed on a recorded vote of 104'0. Faulkner recognized Patrick Marsh, father of Sarah Marsh, in the gallery and described the bill as intended to honor Sarah's legacy and improve camp safety going forward.
The bill now advances per the legislature's process; the transcript does not specify implementation dates beyond statutory references nor appropriations to support implementation.