The families shared stories of unimaginable grief and heartache as they pleaded with committee members to pass SB 1 to ensure Texas youth camps are safer.

They testified before Texas lawmakers for the first time since July 4, when storms engorged the Guadalupe River, killing their children.

Parents whose children were among 27 killed at Camp Mystic on Texas' Guadalupe River during the Fourth of July flash flooding are scheduled to testify.

The parents of girls who lost their lives at Camp Mystic on July 4 will testify before the Texas Senate Disaster Preparedness and Flooding Select Committee in support of Senate Bill 1.

Wednesday's meeting of the Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding is the public hearing for Senate Bill 1, which covers safety for both youth camps and campgrounds. According to the bill's author, it incorporates significant feedback from the families of children lost at Camp Mystic.

In response, the committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 1, allocating $200 million to improve infrastructure and technology at Texas youth camps. Senator Paul Bettencourt told the families that the committee and he will try to take on as much of the pressure as they can from the families, according to our sister station CBS Austin.

The families testified that counselors were told not to move children out of cabins until they received instructions to do so, even though floodwaters were rising.

Wednesday's hearing is the first time parents of the victims are speaking to the Legislature publicly. The parents are members of a group called the Campaign for Camp Safety, which was formed to advocate for an investigation into what happened,

KERRVILLE, Texas — A new foundation called the Heaven’s 27 Fund looks to honor the legacies of the 27 campers and counselors who died during the July 4 floods at Camp Mystic.