Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed sweeping new measures on Friday aimed at tightening youth camp safety and strengthening the state's flood preparedness. The legislation was crafted in direct response to the July 4 floods that left more than 130 people dead.
The bills, during the state Legislature鈥檚 second special session, mark in decades.
During Friday鈥檚 ceremony at the Governor鈥檚 Mansion in Austin, Abbott was flanked by children and families still grieving loved ones lost in the floods. The governor said the new laws were meant to spare others from the heartbreak they had endured.
鈥淭hrough these laws, we鈥檙e doing more than just changing campgrounds in Texas,鈥� Abbott said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e changing the future for our children and their families.鈥�
One measure, the 鈥�,鈥� bars cabins in floodplains unless they meet strict standards. It also requires camps to have state-approved emergency plans, regular evacuation drills and disaster alert systems, and mandates rooftop exits for cabins in high-risk areas.
Lawmakers approved to boost flood preparedness, including $200 million to match federal disaster aid, $50 million for local grants to purchase flood warning equipment and $28 million to improve weather forecasting. A adds youth camp oversight, creating a safety team, enforcing stricter camper-to-counselor ratios and allowing state inspections.
The legislation follows in state history. Torrential rains caused rivers in the Hill Country to rise more than two dozen feet, sweeping away , homes and roads. At along the Guadalupe River, 27 children were killed when floodwaters engulfed the site, and nearly 40 children in total died across the region.
Abbott said he met with grieving parents before the start of last month, parents who 鈥減leaded for swift action鈥� as they told him of the heartbreak losing their children caused, according to the governor.
鈥淭hey shared the beauty of their daughter鈥檚 souls,鈥� Abbott said. 鈥淭hey dropped their daughters off at camp expecting to be able to see them again very soon. They had no clue they would never see those daughters again.鈥�
State lawmakers faced delays at the Capitol last month when during the first special session to block a Republican-backed redistricting plan, halting all legislative work 鈥� including flood relief bills. The absent Democrats returned two weeks later, after Abbott called a second special session. Lawmakers before turning to flood-related legislation.
On Friday, just over two months after floodwaters ravaged the Texas Hill Country, a brief moment of silence lingered as grieving families watched Gov. Abbott sign the bills into law. Finally, he held up the signed measures.
鈥淐amp safety is now law in the great state of Texas,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 law that will save lives.鈥�
