The Texas Senate unanimously voted to pass Senate Bill 1, or the Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act, on Aug. 21 following the tragic flooding in Central Texas in July.
The bill, which requires youth camps to have detailed safety plans in place and keep their staff well-trained in case of emergencies, now faces the Texas House of Representatives.
Two incoming UT students, Chloe Childress and Katherine Ferruzzo, were among those who died in the floods while working as counselors at Camp Mystic. Childress’ father, Matthew Childress, was among those who testified in favor of the bill on Wednesday.
Childress spoke while the father of another camper held a photo of Chloe, facing the members of the Senate.
“This is my daughter Chloe,” said Childress at the bill’s hearing. “I was so proud of the independent woman she had become.”
Childress said at the hearing one nickname he had for his daughter was “hero.” He closed the statements by urging the Senate to remember the 27 campers who died.
“We need you to be tortured by (their stories) as we are every single day,” said Childress at the hearing.
John and Andrea Ferruzzo, parents of incoming student Katherine Ferruzzo, wrote about their daughter in an Austin American-Statesman column.
“To be certain, (Katherine’s) death was heroic. But it was also 100% preventable,” they wrote.
SB 1, if passed by the House, will require detailed emergency plans for summer camps and campgrounds for a range of scenarios, from a missing camper to floods or other natural disasters.
The bill targets camps like Camp Mystic, which was built in a floodplain, or an area susceptible to flooding.
Following the unanimous passage of the bill, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued a statement in support.
“The passage of the Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act ensures that the tragedy at Camp Mystic
will never be forgotten,” Patrick said in the statement. “From this heartbreak, Texas has built something stronger to protect generations of children to come.”
If passed by the House, the bill will go into effect immediately.
