SB 215 — AN ACT CONCERNING YOUTH CAMPS.

The number of unlicensed camps is currently unknown.

For context, OEC currently employs 10 Environmental Sanitarian 1 staffto conduct inspectionsoflicensed youthcamps.Of those,8 staff are employed for 12 weeks with an average total salary of $13,500 per employee.OECreceivesapproximately70-80reportsperyearofinjuries at licensed summer youth camps.

OEC staff investigate approximately 10% of the reports based on the nature of the complaint.

The bill makes various other changes that do not result in a fiscal sSB215 / File No.

136 6 sSB215 File No.

136 impact.

The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to the number of licensed and unlicensed camps within the state.

Sources:Office of Early Childhood Testimony sSB215 / File No.

136 7 sSB215 File No.

136 OLR Bill Analysis sSB 215 AN ACT CONCERNING YOUTH CAMPS.

SUMMARY This bill makes various changes affecting the regulation of youth camps, including the following:

1.

requiring the Office of Early Childhood (OEC), within 72 hours after the camp operations start, to repeat the facility inspection required under current law for initial youth camp licensure (§ 1);

2.

establishing a priority order OEC must follow when inspecting youth camps, giving priority to initial licensure applicants and single-week youth camps (§ 1);

3.

authorizing the OEC commissioner to take various disciplinary actions (e.g., license refusal, suspension, or revocation) against a youth camp licensee if the operator or an employee held a youth camp license in another state that was revoked (§ 4);

4.

requiring unlicensed youth camps to report to OEC within one business day after certain fatalities or injuries occur at the camp or result from camping activities (§ 3);

and 5.

establishing a Youth Camp Safety Advisory Council within OEC to advise the commissioner on youth camp safety (§ 2).

EFFECTIVE DATE:

July 1, 2024 §§ 1 & 4 — OEC YOUTH CAMP LICENSURE Facility Inspection Frequency Current law requires OEC, before issuing an initial youth camp license, to inspect, or cause to be inspected, the camp’s facilities.

The bill requires OEC to repeat the inspection within 72 hours after the youth sSB215 / File No.

136 8 sSB215 File No.

136 camp starts operating.

Existing law, unchanged by the bill, also requires OEC to annually inspect, or cause to be inspected, all licensees’ facilities.

Facility Inspection Priority When inspecting youth camps, the bill requires OEC to prioritize initiallicensure applicantsandlicenseeswho operate single-week youth camps.

For the latter, the inspections must be done within 48 hours after the youth camp starts operating in a given year.

Conversely, it requires OEC to give less priority to licensees that (1) are nationally accredited by the American Camp Association or the Boy Scouts of America’s National Camp Accreditation Program or (2) have no complaints or violations filed against them during the prior five years.

License Refusal, Suspension, or Revocation The bill authorizes the OEC commissioner to (1) refuse to license a person to establish or maintain a youth camp;

(2) suspend or revoke a license;

or (3) take any other action authorized under regulation if a person who establishes, conducts, or maintains a youth camp or an employee in a position connected with providing care to a child or involving unsupervised access to a child held a youth camp license in another state that was revoked by that state’s licensing authority.

Existing law already authorizes the commissioner to take such action if a person or employee:

1.

has been convicted of certain crimes in any state (e.g., injury or risk of injury to or impairing the morals of children) or 2.

has a criminal record that the commissioner reasonably believes makes the person unsuitable to establish, conduct, maintain, or be employed by a youth camp.

By law, the commissioner’s refusal of a license must be in accordance with the human rights and opportunities statutes prohibiting sSB215 / File No.

136 9 sSB215 File No.

136 discrimination based on erased criminal history record information.

§ 3 — UNLICENSED YOUTH CAMPS’ REQUIRED REPORTING TO OEC The bill requires unlicensed youth camps to report to OEC the following events that occur at the camp or result from camping activities:

1.

fatalities or 2.

injuries resulting in a camper’s hospital admission or diagnosis with a fracture, concussion, or second- or third-degree burn.

Under the bill, unlicensed camps must report the events in writing by the next business day, using a form OEC develops and provides.

§ 2 — YOUTH CAMP SAFETY ADVISORY COUNCIL Membership The bill establishes a Youth Camp Safety Advisory Council within OEC to advise the commissioner on youth camp safety.

At a minimum, the council’s membership includes the following 11 appointees who serve three-year terms without compensation:

1.

a Connecticut Camping Association representative appointed by the House speaker;

2.

a Connecticut Recreation and Parks Association representative, appointed by the Senate president pro tempore;

3.

two representatives of Connecticut nonprofit youth service organizations with a camping program, appointed one each by the House and Senate majority leaders;

4.

two representatives of day camps, appointed one each by the House minority leader and Children’s Committee House chairperson;

5.

two representativesofresident camps, appointed oneeachby the sSB215 / File No.

136 10 sSB215 File No.

136 Senate minority leader and Children’s Committee Senate chairperson;

6.

a sports camp representative and an independent school camp representative, both appointed by the governor;

and 7.

a representative of a university that hosts or conducts a summer camp, appointed by the OEC commissioner.

Under the bill, appointing authorities must make their appointments by September 1, 2024, and fill any vacancy.

The commissioner may appoint any additional members based on their expertise and the council’s needs.

Meetings and Governance The bill requires the OEC commissioner to schedule and hold the council’s first meeting by September 15, 2024.

At the first meeting, and annually after that, the members must elect the council’s chairpersons from among the members.

The council may also elect other officers it deems necessary.

The council must meet at least quarterly and when the chairperson deems it necessary or majority of members request it.

The OEC commissioner must meet at least annually with the council.

Under the bill, any member who fails to attend 50% of all meetings held during any calendar year must be deemed to have resigned from the council.

The bill requires OEC to provide administrative assistance to facilitate the council’s activities.

COMMITTEE ACTION Committee on Children Joint Favorable Substitute Yea 15 Nay 3 (03/12/2024) sSB215 / File No.

136 11