Texas governor signs camp safety legislation in response to July 4 floods

AUSTIN, Texas (CN) – During a tearful event Friday morning, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law bills overhauling safety requirements for camps in the state, directly acting on the lessons learned during the historic July 4 floods that killed over a hundred people.

Over two months ago, the Texas Hill Country was shaken when the Guadalupe River rose and destroyed the lives of hundreds. Among the over 130 people killed that holiday weekend were 25 young girls and two camp counselors who were on the banks of the river in their cabins at Camp Mystic, a girls’ Christian summer camp.

Today, the parents of the young girls, who call themselves Heaven’s 27, joined Abbott at the Governor’s Mansion in Austin to witness the signing of bills that were born out of their unthinkable tragedy.

“They pleaded for swift action,” Abbott said about the parents, recalling his conversation with them following the disaster. “They pleaded that their daughters not die in vain. They wanted laws to be passed so that other parents would not have experienced the hell that they had been through.”

The bills signed on Friday that seek to achieve the parents’ and Abbott’s goals are Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 1. As a package, both bills create new restrictions and requirements for camps that, if not adhered to, could cost a camp its license to operate.

The new law requires camps to keep state-reviewed emergency plans covering floods, fires, illness and intruders, and to train staff accordingly. Camps must install warning systems and post evacuation routes in all cabins.

Those with cabins in a river or stream floodplain will be barred from operating, while cabins near lakes or ponds must have roof-access ladders for escape.

Abbott also signed Senate Bill 3, requiring flood-prone communities to install outdoor warning systems, with state grants available to offset costs.

The Camp Mystic tragedy shaped each reform. When floodwaters surged early July 4, many girls were still asleep. Despite a 1:14 a.m. National Weather Service alert of “life-threatening flash flooding,” camp director Dick Eastland reportedly waited until 2:30 a.m. to evacuate.

If SB 1 and HB 1 were in effect at the time of the flood, camp staff would have been required to begin evacuations upon the issuance of a warning from NWS. Moreover, the girls would not have been in the path of the quickly rising Guadalupe River.

“Every child who goes to camp should come home to their families,” Abbott said, just before inking the bills. “No parent should ever have to outlive their child or endure this kind of loss. So today, through these laws, we are doing more than just changing campgrounds in Texas; we are changing the future for our children and their families.”

After the signing, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick praised the parents who came to the legislature to call for greater camp safety measures in the name of the children they lost. Patrick also spoke of the two camp counselors who perished, calling them true Texas heroes.

“They should go down with the great names in Texas History,” Patrick said. “They stayed behind when they could have gotten away. They stayed with the girls they were in charge of and sacrificed their lives.”

Friday’s bill signing caps off the legislature’s second-called special session, which came to an end earlier this week.

Flood legislation was a top priority for Abbott, but action was delayed by partisan fights over mid-decade redistricting. After a quorum break by House Democrats, the Republican-led legislature passed new maps favoring their party in the 2026 midterms.

Republicans also sent Abbott bills restricting transgender Texans’ restroom use and access to abortion drugs. But lawmakers failed to agree on Abbott’s push to ban THC products in the state’s hemp market, leaving the measure stalled.

When asked by a reporter after the signing if he plans to call another special session for lawmakers to address the topic of hemp products, Abbott simply responded, “Stay tuned.”

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