Estimated Time to Read: 7 minutes
Three of Kerr County’s oldest and most respected youth camps, Camp Waldemar, Camp Stewart, and Vista Camps, recently wrote to Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) and members of the Texas Legislature to express their concerns about Senate Bill 1, also known as the Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act.
The camps, which have shaped generations of Texas children, employ local residents, sustain small businesses, and contribute millions of dollars annually to Kerr County’s economy. According to the Texas Camps Impact Study (2023), camps across the state contribute more than $4 billion annually to Texas’ economy. Kerr County, the “heart of camping in Texas,” is one of the biggest beneficiaries of this industry.
But the camps warn that SB 1, if passed without amendments, could place their very existence at risk.
What Senate Bill 1 Proposes
SB 1 amends the Texas Health and Safety Code to create sweeping new safety requirements for youth camps and campgrounds. The bill prohibits the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) from licensing camps with cabins located in FEMA-designated 100-year floodplains unless specific conditions are met.
Additional mandates require camps to develop and submit detailed emergency preparedness plans to DSHS every year, establish muster zones, train staff and volunteers, and provide camper safety orientations. Parents or guardians must be notified in writing if any facilities are located in a floodplain, and camps must secure signed acknowledgments of that notice. Camps would also need to invest in costly infrastructure upgrades, such as dual broadband Internet connections, illuminated evacuation signage, and independent PA systems. To further expand oversight, the bill directs DSHS to publish an online registry of licensed camps and requires compliance with National Fire Protection Association standards for campgrounds statewide.
While the bill seeks to protect children and prevent future tragedies, it significantly expands state oversight into nearly every facet of youth camp operations.
The Financial Burden on Camps
The Kerr County camps’ letter emphasizes the crushing financial impact of SB 1. Floodplain prohibitions would force them to rebuild cabins that are structurally sound but happen to fall within a newly mapped FEMA zone. Rebuilding mandates would cost millions of dollars, and the legislation does not permit camps to remain open during reconstruction, cutting off vital revenue at the very moment expenses would be at their highest. These new obligations would pile onto the heavy financial toll already imposed by past flood repairs, operational expenses, and existing loans. The result, the camps argue, would be devastating not just for their institutions, but for the entire Kerr County economy that depends on the camp industry.
Community Impact of Camp Closures
If camps are forced to close, the impact would ripple throughout local communities. Jobs that sustain local families would disappear, including vital seasonal opportunities for young people who often get their first work experience through camp employment. Local businesses and vendors that depend on camp activity, from restaurants to outfitters, would see revenues shrink. Kerr County families would lose a cultural and economic cornerstone that has defined their community for generations. Most importantly, thousands of Texas children would lose places designed to help them grow, heal, and thrive. The loss of these camps would not just be measured in dollars, but in the diminished opportunities for children and families across the state.
Liberty Principles at Stake
Beyond the financial strain, SB 1 raises significant liberty concerns. The legislation undermines individual liberty by requiring camps to submit detailed emergency plans, including sensitive internal procedures, rosters, and communication protocols, to state agencies for storage in a public database. Faith-based institutions and private organizations worry that the lack of privacy protections could expose their internal operations in ways that conflict with religious beliefs or violate long-standing confidentiality norms.
Personal responsibility is also undermined. Instead of encouraging camps to develop safety strategies tailored to their unique circumstances in consultation with local officials, SB 1 imposes a one-size-fits-all framework that reduces risk management to a checklist of state requirements. Camps that have safely operated for decades are treated the same as those with no safety planning at all, which discourages proactive responsibility and ignores the diversity of camp settings.
The legislation poses a serious threat to free enterprise by creating cost barriers that smaller or nonprofit camps cannot meet. The requirement to install redundant broadband Internet systems, fiber connections, and other costly infrastructure may be feasible for large, commercial operators, but is entirely out of reach for seasonal or mission-driven camps that operate on tight budgets. This tilts the industry toward consolidation, favoring large, well-capitalized players while threatening to shutter small, family-run institutions that make Texas’s camping tradition unique.
SB 1 also infringes upon private property rights by tying a camp’s ability to operate to FEMA floodplain maps, which can shift over time regardless of actual flood history. Camps with safe, structurally sound cabins could lose licenses or face costly rebuilding mandates based solely on bureaucratic map changes. With no compensation, variance process, or appeals mechanism, landowners are effectively stripped of the right to use their property in ways that have been safe and lawful for generations.
Finally, the legislation violates the principle of limited government by creating a sweeping regulatory apparatus within DSHS. The bill grants the agency unchecked authority to approve or deny licenses, enforce infrastructure mandates, and impose new rules, all without waiver provisions or sunset clauses. By eliminating DSHS’s ability to issue exemptions, the law centralizes authority in Austin and removes the flexibility that local oversight and professional judgment have long provided.
Camps’ Call for Partnership and Support
Despite their deep concerns, the camps emphasize that they share lawmakers’ commitment to safety. They are willing to work with state leaders to ensure that every child is protected, but they stress that partnership and support must accompany regulation. They propose that financial assistance, whether through state grants, insurance programs, or other funding mechanisms, should be available to help camps meet new mandates. They also request flexibility to continue operating while rebuilding, rather than shutting down for entire summers at a time. By working with the Texas Water Development Board and other local authorities, lawmakers could tailor floodplain compliance measures in ways that reflect on-the-ground realities, rather than imposing blanket prohibitions that ignore context.
Why SB 1 Needs Amendments
The intent of SB 1, to keep children safe, is unquestionably important. But the current version of the bill, particularly the expanded House substitute, threatens to cause more harm than good. Reasonable amendments could strike a balance between safety and sustainability. Lawmakers should consider adding tiered compliance standards based on the size and risk profile of camps, as well as waivers or exemptions for nonprofit and faith-based institutions. Camps should be allowed to continue operating during reconstruction, and financial assistance should be available to offset the immense costs of mandated upgrades. Privacy protections must be added to safeguard sensitive emergency plans, and local input should be required when applying FEMA floodplain standards that may not accurately reflect actual risk.
By incorporating these amendments, SB 1 could fulfill its safety objectives without dismantling the institutions that generations of Texas families rely on.
Conclusion: Preserving Safety and Tradition Together
Texas youth camps have nurtured children, supported families, and sustained local economies for more than a century. Senate Bill 1, while well-intentioned, threatens to unravel that legacy through costly mandates and expansive state control. Lawmakers must balance the urgent need for child safety with the equally urgent need to preserve the economic, cultural, and educational value that camps provide.
By amending SB 1 to introduce flexibility, financial support, and respect for liberty principles, the Legislature can ensure that camps remain both safe and sustainable. The message from Kerr County’s camps is clear: safety must be a shared responsibility, not a state-imposed burden that risks closing the very institutions that make Texas stronger.
The voices of Camp Waldemar, Camp Stewart, and Vista Camps deserve to be heard. Their call is simple: partner with them, do not regulate them out of existence.
Texas Policy Research relies on the support of generous donors across Texas.
If you found this information helpful, please consider supporting our efforts! Thank you!
