Modifies and establishes provisions relating to overnight and residential camps
HB 3142 creates a new section of Missouri law, section 210.1700, to establish the “TJ and Heaven’s Camp Safety Act” and regulate overnight camps and residential camps for minors. The bill requires these camps to be licensed by the Department of Social Services before operating, and it requires camps to disclose their licensure status to parents or guardians. It also authorizes the department to inspect camps, set standards for care and service, determine recordkeeping requirements, and deny, suspend, place on probation, or revoke licenses for unsafe or noncompliant operations.
The bill adds a detailed safety and emergency-preparedness framework for camps. It requires background checks for adult staff and volunteers, at least one CPR-trained staff member, review and establishment of camper-to-counselor ratios, mandatory emergency plans, annual training, safety orientations for campers, posted evacuation routes, weather-alert equipment, and notice to parents if a camp is in a flood plain. It also requires camps to submit emergency plans to the department, share them with local emergency management and law enforcement, and maintain compliance with fire, health, sanitation, and other safety requirements. Higher-education camps are exempted from the section.
The bill would add new licensing, inspection, reporting, training, and emergency-planning requirements to chapter 210, RSMo, specifically for overnight and residential camps serving minors. It expands the Department of Social Services’ regulatory authority over these camps and creates enforcement tools, including misdemeanor penalties for false statements, administrative discipline, and court injunctions sought by prosecutors or the attorney general. The bill would affect camp operators, staff, volunteers, parents or guardians of campers, and state and local emergency-response entities that would receive or access camp emergency plans.
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or floor sentiment in the supplied materials. Based on the bill text, the measure is framed as a child-safety and emergency-preparedness bill, suggesting a protective rationale rather than a partisan policy change. The bill’s status of “Action Postponed (H)” indicates it did not advance immediately and may have faced unresolved concerns or scheduling delays.
The main points of potential contention are the scope and cost of state regulation over private and nonprofit camps, the breadth of the Department of Social Services’ licensing and inspection authority, and the operational burden of annual emergency-plan submissions, training, background checks, and disclosure requirements. Camps located in flood plains may also face added scrutiny and notice obligations. Another likely issue is the bill’s exemption for camps offered by institutions of higher education, which creates a carve-out that could be viewed as either appropriate or uneven treatment depending on the stakeholder.