MONTGOMERY — The Alabama House passed a bill on Tuesday to establish safety plans for summer camps across the state.
State Rep. David Faulkner (R-Mountain Brook) sponsored House Bill 381 (HB381).
The safety measures include a required safety license from the Alabama Management Agency (AEMA) and developing emergency and evaluation plans. The bill would also prevent certain convicted criminals from serving on staff. An annual application process would be established, along with a Youth Camp Safety Advisory Council.
The bill is named in honor of 8-year-old Sarah Marsh, who was one of the young campers caught in flash flooding in Texas last summer.
Faulkner said the disaster exposed gaps in safety not only in Texas but in Alabama.
“What this bill, the Sarah Marsh Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act does, it puts in common sense requirements on our summer camps,” Faulkner said ahead of the vote.
Committee changes clarified language and added camp operators who lease out their camps to other entities. The changes also added a representative from Scouting America to the Advisory Board.
Marsh’s father, Patrick, said the bill won’t bring back his daughter, but he is thankful for Faulkner and the entire House for protecting other children in his child’s name.
“Nobody ever really understands how important this is,” Patrick Marsh said. “They never get how important it is.”
The bill will now head to the Senate.
RELATED: Ivey backs Faulkner bill to protect kids at summer camps after heartbreaking loss
If passed and signed by Ivey, camps would have to enact safety plans effective Jan. 1, 2027.
Faulkner thanked Ivey for her support of the bill.
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