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.

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.

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.

Dallas mother Carrie Hanna spent joyful adolescent years at Camp Mystic, the idyllic spot along the Guadalupe River where she met some of her best friends and learned some of life’s most important lessons.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Parents of the 27 girls and staffers who died when floodwaters overwhelmed Camp Mystic the morning of July 4 spoke publicly before Texas lawmakers for the first time Wednesday. The testimony quickly lead to tears on both sides of the hearing.

"My daughter was stolen from us," one of the several Texas parents who lost children in the Camp Mystic flooding said at the hearing.