Texas lawmakers back lifting camp safety rule made after flood
The Texas Tribune • • nation
Key Points:
- Texas legislative leaders Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows support removing the new state mandate requiring youth camps to install end-to-end fiber optic internet to operate this summer, citing the difficulty in meeting the requirement.
- The fiber optic rule was enacted after a deadly July 4 flood in the Texas Hill Country, which highlighted communication failures at Camp Mystic, but 19 camps have sued, arguing the mandate is costly, unconstitutional, and unnecessary for safety.
- The lawsuit claims fiber optic service is often unavailable or prohibitively expensive for rural camps, with some quotes exceeding $1 million upfront plus ongoing fees, and the law made no exceptions for such cases.
- Camps must still meet other safety and communication standards to qualify for licensure through the Department of State Health Services, but lawmakers plan to revisit camp safety regulations in the 2027 legislative session.
- It remains unclear whether the lawsuit will proceed if the fiber optic requirement is officially lifted by the state.
