Protecting Campers. Preserving Camp.

Our Response to HB1/SB1

Our hearts and prayers remain with the families and communities so deeply impacted by last year’s tragic flooding in the Hill Country. We continue to remember the lives of Heaven’s 27, and we believe every effort to strengthen camper safety should be taken seriously.

At Camp Liberty, the safety and well being of campers has always been one of our highest responsibilities. We support strong safety standards, careful emergency planning, trained staff, and clear communication systems. We are committed to doing everything we can to operate safely, responsibly, and in compliance with the intent of the law.

At the same time, a new Texas law includes a technical internet requirement that creates a serious challenge for many rural camps across our state.

The Challenge Facing Rural Texas Camps

A recently enacted Texas law requires licensed summer camps to maintain a specific broadband or fiber internet standard on their property.

For many rural camps, including camps located in remote areas of Texas, that infrastructure simply does not exist.

This means a camp may be well staffed, well prepared, committed to safety, and equipped with reliable communication tools, yet still be considered out of compliance because one specific form of internet service is unavailable in that area.

This is not a matter of unwillingness, delay, or refusing to prepare. It is a matter of infrastructure that has not yet been built.

This Is a Technology Availability Issue

Many Texas camps are intentionally located away from city centers. That setting is part of what makes camp so meaningful. Camp gives young people a chance to step away from screens, build friendships, enjoy the outdoors, hear the Word of God, and grow in ways that are difficult to reproduce anywhere else.

But rural locations often do not have the same infrastructure available in cities or suburbs.

Camp Liberty uses reliable communication systems suited for a rural setting, including satellite based internet and other communication tools. Across rural Texas, similar systems are used every day by churches, schools, ranches, businesses, and emergency responders.

The concern is not whether camps should have dependable communication.

They should.

The concern is whether camps should be shut out of operation because one specific form of internet service is unavailable where they are located.

We Support the Intent of the Law

We want to be very clear: Camp Liberty supports the goal of protecting children.

We believe camper safety matters. We believe emergency planning matters. We believe clear communication matters. We believe every camp should take these responsibilities seriously.

Our concern is with a single technical requirement that does not account for the realities of rural Texas.

We are not asking for safety standards to be lowered.

We are not asking for emergency planning to be weakened.

We are not asking for camper protection to be delayed.

We are asking for a practical and reasonable solution that allows camps to meet the safety goals of the law using reliable alternatives where fiber infrastructure is not available.

We Are Asking for Clarification, Not Exemption

Nearly twenty Texas camps, including Camp Liberty, are working together to seek temporary relief while a practical solution is considered.

The request is careful and reasonable:

Allow camps to operate safely using workable communication alternatives where fiber infrastructure does not exist.

That is the issue.

We want the law’s safety goals to be honored without unintentionally closing rural camps over infrastructure they cannot access.

There Is Zero Compromise on Camper Safety

Camper safety has always been foundational to Camp Liberty.

We are continuing to strengthen our emergency planning, staff training, weather monitoring, communication procedures, health policies, and coordination with local emergency responders.

This effort does not weaken safety standards.

It does not lower expectations.

It does not excuse camps from responsibility.

It simply recognizes that equal or workable communication alternatives should be considered when the required infrastructure is not available.

Why Camp Matters

Families choose camp because camp helps children grow in ways screens cannot.

Camp builds confidence.

Camp strengthens friendships.

Camp teaches responsibility and independence.

Camp creates memories that last for years.

For Camp Liberty, camp is also a ministry. It is a place where young people hear biblical preaching, worship with other campers, grow spiritually, and are encouraged in their relationship with Christ and their local church.

Texas camps have served families for generations. That tradition matters. A technical infrastructure issue should not erase decades of trust, ministry, and impact.

We Are Planning for a Full and Safe Summer

At this time, Camp Liberty is planning for a full summer season.

Staff are being hired and trained.

Facilities are being prepared.

Programs are moving forward.

We will continue communicating clearly and directly with families and churches. If anything changes that affects your camper’s session, you will hear directly from us.

How You Can Help

For those who feel comfortable doing so, one of the most helpful things you can do is share what camp means to your family, your church, and your child.

Share your story with Texas Leaders: 

   – Governor Greg Abbott – https://gov.texas.gov/contact

   – Lt. Governor Dan Patrick – https://www.ltgov.texas.gov/contact/

   – Attorney General – Ken Paxton – https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/contact-us-online-form

   – Find Out Who Represents You: https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home

Please pray for wisdom and favor as we walk through this process.

Personal stories help leaders understand the role camp plays in building confidence, friendships, resilience, independence, faith, and lifelong memories.

Our Anchor Message

Texas children deserve the chance to experience camp safely, meaningfully, and without being shut out by a technicality.