Missouri Lawmakers Advance New Summer Camp Safety Bill
Action comes after flood tragedy in Texas
New Missouri safety requirements may soon be in place, giving Summer camp parents peace of mind should disaster strike.
Last summer’s Texas summer camp tragedy, which saw 27 children and counselors drowned in a flash flood, has led to several states reviewing safety issues. Camp Mystic is currently being sued by the parents of victims.
Missouri Rep. Cameron Bunting Parker (R-Campbell), who represents the boothill, introduced House Bill 3142, garnering bipartisan support. The legislation requires all summer and day camps in the state to create and file emergency response plans, have mandated annual safety and health inspections, and follow safety regulations already in place for schools and daycares. The bill also sets minimum counselor-camper ratios and requires safety drills upon arrival for both staff and campers. Notably, it also requires camps to notify parents if the facility is in a flood plain.
Missouri’s current laws exempt most of the state’s 102 summer camps from inspections that are routinely required of childcare facilities, according to proponents of the bill. HB 3142 would also close those exemptions and require camps to install real-time weather alert systems and conduct drills. Camps that fail to comply could lose their license or face fines.
“Many states do not have basic emergency requirements for children’s camps,” former Rep. Holly Rehder said in a statement. “In Missouri, the same safety precautions that daycares and schools follow simply do not include kids’ camps. I’m so thankful to see Representative Cameron Bunting Parker working on these life-saving precautions!”
The bill may not have possible without the attention received by the July 4, 2025, tragedy at Camp Mystic. Heavy rains in the Texas region caused the Guadalupe River to top its banks, sweeping away cabins and campers. Entire families camping along the river nearby were among the more than 130 killed.
Texas law did not require camps to have a written emergency preparedness plan or warning systems for floods or tornadoes. National camp safety advocates called it a “wake-up-call,” arguing the casual approach and patchwork safety protocol left children vulnerable.
–Dwight Widaman
