The leaders of the Texas Legislature support lifting a new state requirement for youth camps to install \u201cend-to-end fiber optic facilities\u201d in order to allow them to operate this summer, following a lawsuit from 19 camps calling the measure too challenging.<\/p>\n
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick<\/a> and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows<\/a> released a statement<\/a> Tuesday supporting the removal of the requirement for fiber-optic internet infrastructure at all Texas camps, citing the difficulty of meeting this requirement<\/p>\n \u201cWe also recognize that there may be means other than fiber to provide reliable, redundant internet access, which would satisfy the purpose and spirit of the law,\u201d Patrick and Burrows said in the statement. <\/p>\n Summer camps in Texas can qualify for licensure through the Department of State Health Services. To obtain a license, among the steps they must fulfill is submit a sufficient emergency action plan, meet all other safety requirements, and maintain a reliable communication system capable of operating during an emergency, lawmakers said on social media<\/a> and in statements. <\/p>\n Attempts to reach DSHS for comment about whether it supports the lawmakers\u2019 request to override the new rules and regulations weren\u2019t returned by publication. <\/p>\n Lawmakers are expected to revisit the camp safety standards in the 90th Legislative session in 2027 while ensuring that camps operate in good faith under these new regulations. <\/p>\n State legislators passed the fiber optic requirement, in addition to mandating a second type of broadband connection, after the July 4 flood in the Texas Hill Country. That flood killed 25 campers, two counselors at Camp Mystic and the camp\u2019s executive director Dick Eastland \u2014 information that emergency responders struggled to confirm as one official noted<\/a> phone lines were down and there was no cell service at the camp.<\/p>\n