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H 8091Licensing & Accreditation

Health and Safety - Licensing of Youth Camps

This bill delays the enforcement of safety regulations, inspections, and licensing requirements for youth camps until January 1, 2027.

Signed into law62 Yea0 Nay13 Not voting
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee House Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends the "Licensing of Youth Camps" chapter of the Rhode Island General Laws. It outlines specific requirements for youth camps regarding water safety, building maintenance, staffing ratios, background checks, and training. However, the primary purpose of this specific bill is to establish a delay in the implementation of these requirements. It explicitly states that the licensing standards, facility inspections by the Department of Health, and related rules and regulations will not apply or take effect until January 1, 2027.

For younger readers

This law is about summer camps and other camps for kids. Usually, there are strict rules camps must follow to keep everyone safe, like checking that the buildings are strong, the water is clean, and the workers are safe people. This new bill says that camps do not have to follow all these new government rules or get inspected by the state until the year 2027. It gives the people who run the camps more time to get ready before they have to do everything on the safety list.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Youth camp ownersCamp counselorsParents of campersChildren attending campsDepartment of Health
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Provides smaller, non-profit, and community-based camps with additional time to secure funding for necessary facility upgrades, potentially preventing the closure of affordable options for low-income families.
  • Prevents potential bureaucratic bottlenecks in the Department of Health that could disrupt the availability of childcare and summer programming for working parents.
  • Ensures that when regulations are eventually implemented, camp operators have ample time to develop comprehensive training programs for staff regarding behavioral management and child abuse prevention.
  • Delays critical safety measures, including mandatory criminal background checks for staff, leaving children potentially vulnerable to predators for several more years.
  • Postpones state inspections of camp facilities, meaning potential health hazards like unsafe water or fire risks may go unchecked in the interim.
  • Suspends the requirement for specialized training in recognizing and reporting child abuse and neglect, potentially compromising the welfare of at-risk youth attending these camps.
For Conservatives
  • Reduces the immediate regulatory burden on private business owners, allowing them to operate without government interference or compliance costs until 2027.
  • Delays the expansion of the administrative state and associated government spending on inspections and enforcement mechanisms.
  • Provides business owners with a significant grace period to adjust their business models and infrastructure without the threat of immediate fines or closure by the state.
  • Maintains the ultimate trajectory of increased government oversight and intrusion into private enterprise, merely postponing the inevitable rather than eliminating the regulations.
  • Creates a period of regulatory uncertainty where laws exist on the books but are not enforced, potentially complicating insurance and liability issues for business owners.
  • The delay implies that the government is inefficient and unable to implement its own laws in a timely manner, signaling a failure of effective governance.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 10 additions

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Sections 23-21.2-2, 23-21.2-3 and 23-21.2-4 of the General Laws in Chapter 23-21.2 entitled "Licensing of Youth Camps" are hereby amended to read as follows: 23-21.2-2. Requirements for licensing of youth camps.

(a) To be eligible for the issuance or renewal of a youth camp license, the camp shall satisfy the following requirements:

(1) The location of the camp shall be such as to provide adequate potable water and afford facilities for obtaining readily available potable water;

(2) Each dwelling unit, building, and structure shall be maintained in good condition, suitable for the use to which it is intended, and shall present no health or fire hazard as so certified by the department of health and the state fire marshal or local fire marshal, and if required, as indicated by a current fire marshal certificate dated within the past year and available on site when the youth camp is in operation;

(3) There shall be an adequate and competent staff consisting of:

(i) The youth camp director or assistant director, one of whom shall be on site at all times the camp is in operation;

(ii) Activities specialists;

(iii) Counselors; and

(iv) Maintenance personnel;

(4) Each camp staff member over the age of eighteen (18) years shall be required to obtain a criminal records background check from the bureau of criminal identification and investigation division of the state police, local police department, or the office of the attorney general in accordance with the procedures and standards provided in § 40-13.2-5.1;

(5) All youth camp staff shall be trained, at a minimum, on the camp’s policies and procedures pertaining to behavioral management and supervision, emergency health and safety procedures and recognizing, preventing, and reporting child abuse and neglect in accordance with § 40-11-3;

(6) All hazardous activities, including, but not limited to, archery, aquatics, horseback riding, and firearms instruction, shall be supervised by a qualified activities specialist who has adequate experience and training in such area of specialty;

(7) The staff of a residential and day camp shall at all times include an individual trained in the administration of first aid as required by the director;

(8) Records of personal data for each camper shall be kept in any reasonable form. The form shall include:

(i) The camper’s name, age, and address;

(ii) The name, address, and telephone number of the parents or guardian;

(iii) The dates of admission and discharge; and

(iv) Such other information as required by the department; and

(9) Any youth camp licensed under this chapter shall operate only as the type of camp authorized by such license. Such camps shall not advertise any service they are not equipped or licensed to offer. The license shall be posted in a conspicuous place at youth camp headquarters and failure to so post the license shall result in the presumption that the camp is being operated in violation of this chapter.

(b) The requirements of subsection (a) of this section shall not apply until January 1, 2027. 23-21.2-3. Inspections of facilities.

(a) The department shall inspect or cause to be inspected the facilities to be operated by an applicant for an original license before the license shall be granted and shall annually thereafter inspect or cause to be inspected the facilities of all licensees.

(b) The inspection requirements of subsection (a) of this section shall not apply until January 1, 2027. 23-21.2-4. Rules and regulations. The department shall promulgate rules and regulations deemed necessary to implement the purposes of this chapter. Any rules and regulations adopted to implement §§ 22-21.2-2(a) and 23- 21.2-3(a) shall not take effect until January 1, 2027.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.