On Sept. 3, 2025, Texas lawmakers approved two bills that tighten safety requirements for youth camps across the state, requiring cabins to be removed from flood-prone river areas, mandating emergency warning systems and formal evacuation procedures; the measures now head to Gov. Greg Abbott for signature.
Key Takeaways
- The Legislature passed two companion bills on Sept. 3, 2025: the Senate approved House Bill 1 by 26-0 and the House approved Senate Bill 1 by 120-4.
- Bills require that cabins not sit in high-risk floodplain areas near rivers and that camps install emergency warning systems and weather radios.
- Camps must post and illuminate evacuation routes in cabins, assign preparedness coordinators, and conduct staff training at least annually.
- Parents must sign acknowledgements if any portion of a camp sits in a floodplain; camps in floodplains must add roof ladders and formal flash-flood evacuation plans.
- The state will review counselor-to-camper ratios and create an interagency team to develop ongoing standards for youth camps.
- Legislation follows advocacy by families of the 27 Camp Mystic girls who died in July floods and other grieving parents who pushed for changes.
- At least 13 camps along the Guadalupe River, including Camp Mystic, had buildings in the floodplain, creating financial and logistical challenges for compliance.
Verified Facts
The two bills approved by lawmakers set a new baseline of mandatory safety measures for licensed youth camps across Texas. Key procedural requirements include written evacuation plans, posted evacuation routes inside each cabin, nighttime lighting for those routes and designation of a camp emergency preparedness coordinator.
Staffing and training rules are explicit: camps must provide camper orientations at session start and ensure staff receive at least annual emergency training. Camps are also required to monitor National Weather Service alerts and maintain weather radios that emit audible alerts when warnings are issued.
Specific floodplain provisions will force camps to move sleeping structures out of hazardous river-adjacent floodplains where practicable. Where cabins remain in floodplains during the transition, operators must install roof ladders and prepare documented evacuation steps to be executed upon a National Weather Service flash flood or flood warning.
Legislators recorded decisive vote totals: the Senate passed House Bill 1 26-0; the House passed Senate Bill 1 120-4. Both bills now await the governor’s action. Lawmakers said these measures were shaped in part by testimony from relatives of those who died in the July Hill Country floods.
Context & Impact
The bills respond directly to the July floods on the Guadalupe River that destroyed cabins and claimed lives at several camps, most notably the 27 girls who died at Camp Mystic. Families of victims have actively lobbied in hearings and legislative offices, pressing for statutory changes to reduce risks at overnight camps.
Compliance will carry costs. A Texas Tribune analysis cited in hearings found 13 camps on the Guadalupe had buildings in the floodplain; several operators warned that rebuilding to meet new rules could threaten their financial viability. Three camps — Camp Waldemar, Vista Camps and Camp Stewart — asked lawmakers for financial aid and temporary operational flexibility while they rebuild.
Some camp operators have already begun planning upgrades. Camp Waldemar released a statement saying it will move forward with compliant cabin plans and praised lawmakers’ action as a chance to reaffirm safety and stewardship.
Official Statements
“Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 1 would not have happened without your relentless advocacy, fight and determination,” said Rep. Drew Darby on the House floor, thanking families whose testimony shaped the bills.
Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo
“This transition is an opportunity to carry forward our camp’s legacy of safety and stewardship,” Camp Waldemar said in a statement after the bills passed.
Camp Waldemar statement
Unconfirmed
- The total statewide cost to camps to meet the new standards has not been estimated publicly; financial impacts will vary by site and scope of rebuilding.
- Requests from some camps to operate while rebuilding and to receive state financial assistance were made, but any appropriation or waiver is not yet decided.
- Whether the state will change the counselor-to-camper ratio and the specific new ratio, if any, remains under review.
Bottom Line
Texas lawmakers moved quickly to codify stricter safety requirements for youth camps in direct response to devastating July floods and sustained advocacy from affected families. If Gov. Abbott signs the bills, camps will face clearer emergency protocols and structural limits on siting cabins in flood-prone river corridors, trading short-term costs for longer-term risk reduction.