Texas lawmakers support lifting summer camp safety requirement made after deadly floods

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KERRVILLE, TEXAS - JULY 31: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (right) speaks to reporters alongside House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, outside a joint hearing of the Texas Senate and House Select Committees on disaster preparedness and flooding, Thursday, J

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AUSTIN, Texas - Two of Texas' top lawmakers support lifting a new state requirement that requires youth summer camps to install fiber optic facilities in order to operate this summer after more than a dozen youth camps filed a lawsuit claiming the requirement was too challenging.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows on Tuesday released a statement supporting the opening of camps that had a "sufficient emergency action plan," meets safety requirements and can maintain a "reliable communications system" that works during an emergency.

Camps must be licensed by the Department of State Health Services.

What they're saying:

"The Texas Legislature’s comprehensive camp safety act, passed in response to last summer’s tragic flooding disaster, has strengthened safety standards for camps statewide," the statement reads. "These reforms establish a more rigorous approach to preparedness, including long-overdue requirements such as comprehensive emergency planning and training and redundant internet access. We recognize that some camps have been unable to meet the redundant internet requirement because the law requires camps to install new fiber-optic internet infrastructure. We also recognize that there may be means other than fiber to provide reliable redundant internet access, which would satisfy the purpose and spirit of the law."

Patrick and Burrows said the safety requirements for youth camps would be revisited during the 90th legislative session, which begins in 2027.

Lawmakers passed more stringent licensing requirements in the aftermath of catastrophic floods that swept through the Texas Hill Country last summer, killing at least 135 people, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic. 

Camp directors have pushed back on the broadband requirement, filing a lawsuit in April arguing that the requirement doesn't make camps safer, violates the state constitution and state laws concerning property rights. The camps in the lawsuit argue that the requirement could prevent them from opening this year.

The camps in the lawsuit claim the cost of implementing fiber optic is too much, with Camp Liberty claiming they were quoted $1 million in upfront costs to install fiber optic broadband and a monthly service fee of $3,500. Camp Longhorn claimed they were quoted $1.2 million for installation, but the cost was too high for AT&T and classified as "undeliverable."