With just three weeks until summer sessions begin, the Department of State Health Services has licensed just nine camps in Texas.
DALLAS — Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows support allowing camps to operate during the 2026 season even if they have not installed fiber-optic internet.
They released a joint statement Tuesday, as hundreds of camps in Texas remain in limbo with pending license applications in front of the Department of State Health Services.
DSHS has issued just nine licenses ahead of the 2026 summer camp season.
State lawmakers passed strict new regulations for camps during a special legislative session in 2025, after 27 campers and counselors died at Camp Mystic in Kerr County.
The law requires camps to install fiber, which some operators say is not possible in their remote areas.
Burrows and Patrick said they recognize means other than fiber can provide reliable, redundant internet access, which would “satisfy the purpose and spirit of the law.”
In the statement, they said they support the Department of State Health Services licensing camps for the 2026 season “if they have submitted a sufficient emergency action plan, meet all other safety requirements, and maintain a reliable communication system capable of operating during an emergency.”
It is not the first time for lawmakers to lean on DSHS to consider leniency on the fiber requirement.
Two authors of the legislation, state Sen. Charles Perry and state Rep. Drew Darby, sent a letter to the agency in October asking for implementation of that part of the law to be delayed until 2027.
But the agency did not offer leniency.
WFAA asked DSHS if the statement from Burrows and Patrick will make an impact, but at publication time, the agency had not yet responded.
DSHS previously told WFAA youth camps can continue to operate while their application status is pending.
A group of 19 camps filed suit in Travis County in April arguing the fiber requirement will prevent them from opening.
According to the suit, camps received quotes of $1 million or more, plus thousands of dollars in monthly fees.
Eddie Walker, executive director of Mt. Lebanon in Cedar Hill and president of the Texas section of the Christian Camp and Conference Association, said the fiber requirement will cause camps to close.
“You can’t overcome a bid of a million dollars for a small camp just to get a fiber line to your camp,” he said.
He said that part of the law needs to be addressed.
He’s been lobbying for a special legislative session, Burrows and Patrick said legislative relief won’t come until the next full session in 2027.
“The upcoming 90th Legislative Session will provide an opportunity to further strengthen camp safety standards while ensuring camps operating in good faith under these new requirements can continue to serve Texas children and families,” they wrote.
Catastrophic flooding in Central Texas killed 139 people during the July 4 weekend.
A majority of the deaths, 119, were in Kerr County, where Camp Mystic is located.
The operators of Camp Mystic originally planned to partially reopen in 2026.
But after intense criticism, several lawsuits, and emotional testimony during multiple legislative and court hearings, they withdrew their application.