The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined because the number of camps and youth activity entities that provide high-risk activities subject to the bill's requirements is unknown, and the cost to process emergency preparedness plans cannot be estimated at this time.
The bill would require the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), in collaboration with the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and the Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP), to adopt emergency preparedness standards and coordination protocols for camps and youth activity entities. Among other requirements, the bill would require operators of youth camps and youth activity entities that provide high-risk activities, as defined by the bill, to develop and submit a written emergency preparedness plan to TDEM in a form and manner prescribed by TDEM. The bill would require TDEM to review each plan, and on request of an operator, provide feedback or technical support regarding the plan. The bill would prohibit DSHS from issuing or renewing a youth camp license unless the operator provides documentation showing submission of such a required plan to TDEM.
The bill would authorize the Attorney General to bring an action to assess a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation against an operator that violates the bill's requirements and to recover reasonable expenses incurred in bringing the action.
According to the Comptroller, creating a new civil penalty and allowing the Attorney General to recover reasonable expenses could increase revenue; however, the extent of violations and the amount of any assessments are unknown. Accordingly, this analysis assumes any impact on state revenue would not be significant. TDEM indicates that the cost of processing plans cannot be determined at this time because the number of affected entities is unknown.
It is assumed that any costs associated with implementing the bill to TCFP and DSHS could be absorbed within existing resources.The fiscal implications to units of local government cannot be determined due to the number of campground entities owned by local governments that would be subject to the bill's requirements and the costs of generating the emergency preparedness plans being unknown.