Alabama House Committee Advances Sarah Marsh Camp Safety Act

The Alabama House Committee on State Government on Wednesday approved House Bill 381 (HB381), now known as the Sarah Marsh Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act, sending it to the full House for a floor vote.

The bill is named for 8-year-old Sarah Marsh, a Mountain Brook child and one of the 27 campers and counselors who died in Camp Mystic’s flash flood tragedy in Hunt, Texas, on July 4, 2025. That night’s storms caused the Guadalupe River to rise rapidly, overwhelming cabins at the camp and contributing to the deaths of 25 campers and two staff members. The disaster was part of widespread Central Texas flooding that claimed many lives and upended families.

Right now, summer camps in Alabama are not required to be licensed or to conduct criminal background checks on staff. HB381 addresses that issue.

“We are grateful to Rep. Faulkner and Gov. Ivey for championing this bill, and to the committee for agreeing to hear this important legislation,” said Patrick Marsh, Sarah’s father and a member of the Campaign for Camp Safety’s advisory council. “This bill introduces common-sense regulations that many parents assume are already in place. It restores peace of mind following the devastating flooding event in Texas, so the American tradition of summer camp can continue without preventable loss of life.”

Filed by Rep. David Faulkner (R-Mountain Brook) with full support from Gov. Kay Ivey, the bill would require summer camps to get an emergency preparedness license from the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. To qualify, camps must meet standards focused on prevention, detection, training, and response.

Under the act, licensed camps must:

• Undergo inspections and meet safety rules, including criminal background checks for staff;
• Install strong emergency warning and alert systems;
• Train staff in health, safety, and emergency response;
• Prepare for emergencies with clear storm and evacuation plans; and
• Keep clear communication channels so parents are informed in a crisis.

At today’s hearing, Rep. Faulkner reminded the Committee of the Camp Mystic tragedy: “Those parents trusted that basic safety systems would be in place, like we do when we take our kids to camp. What happened to Camp Mystic exposed dangerous gaps in how youth camps are regulated, monitored and held accountable.”

“Alabama sends 1000s of children to in-state and out-of-state camps every year. Parents reasonably expect that camp that camps that operate in our state or serving Alabama families meet rigorous safety standards,” Faulkner continued. “We do have great camps, and they are doing good things, but we need to make sure that we need to have this as a requirement so that people can make sure what they're doing is safe. That's the point of this bill.”

Alabama’s move comes amid broader attention to camp safety after the catastrophic Texas floods. Families of victims of the Camp Mystic disaster have pursued both legal action and safety advocacy following the tragedy.

HB381 received a favorable report from the Committee and was sent to the full House, where it is expected to pass.

The full text of HB381 is available at THIS LINK.