Title 14. General Day Care — Subtitle 4. Maryland Youth Camp Act

Is operated for all or part of the day but less than 24 hours a day;

Is conducted for at least 7 days during a 3–week period; and

Provides 3 or more recreational activities or any 1 specialized activity including:

An owner;

An agent of the owner;

A lessee of the owner;

A director; or

An independent contractor.

Operates for at least 5 consecutive days; and

Provides for campers to use motorized transportation to move as a group to or among sites for experiences in different environments.

That operates for at least 5 consecutive days; and

In which a group of individuals move from 1 site to another under their own power or by transportation which permits individual guidance of a vehicle or animal.

Accommodates 7 or more campers who are unrelated to the person operating the camp;

Provides primarily recreational activities or has a substantial outdoor recreational component;

Has permanent buildings, temporary buildings, or no buildings; and

Operates on:

Purely social activities of a family or the guests of a family;

Subject to subsection (b) of this section, programs or activities directed or operated by a board of recreation, recreation department, or similar public unit of a county, a municipality, as defined by § 1–101 of the Local Government Article, or the Maryland–National Capital Park and Planning Commission, that involve use of neighborhood facilities, including:

Subject to subsection (c) of this section, programs or activities directed or operated by an agency of the State that involve occasional use of public facilities including:

Youth overnight programs sponsored by religious or community organizations operating or conducted for not more than 5 consecutive days during any 1 calendar year, such as a vacation bible school, youth bike trip, and similar activities.

Subject to the provisions of paragraph (2) of this subsection, each local government shall adopt health and safety standards pertaining to the operation of youth camps.

Each unit of local government, or the Maryland–National Capital Park and Planning Commission, that directs or operates a program or activity under subsection (a)(2) of this section shall certify in writing on or before April 1 of each year to the Maryland Department of Health that all of those programs and activities operated by the unit comply with the applicable health and safety standards of the local jurisdiction in which the program or activity is located and any State law the enforcement of which has been delegated to local government. However, a unit may annually elect to comply with this subtitle and the regulations adopted under it.

Conduct inspections of:

Advise the unit or agency of any significant violation of State regulations that would adversely impact the health or safety of children participating in a program or activity.

In addition to the powers set forth elsewhere in this article and subject to the provisions of Title 10 of the State Government Article, on or before October 1, 1987, the Secretary shall adopt regulations for certifying youth camps and for issuing letters of compliance.

Safety procedures for:

Except for outdoor cookouts, sanitation regulations pertaining to the facilities and personnel for the storage, preparation, and serving of food products;

Personal health, first aid, and medical services, health supervision, and the maintenance of health records for campers;

Water supplies, sewage disposal systems, and refuse collection and disposal procedures;

Fire and safety standards relating to the buildings and the occupants of buildings;

Systems for the routine reporting of fatalities and serious illnesses or accidents;

Any personnel screening procedures that are required for operators and employees of group day care centers;

Procedures for conducting inspection, monitoring compliance, and verifying information;

Alternate accreditation which has been approved by the Secretary; and

Minimum standards for the supervision of campers during routine activities.

Camp health supervisors at a camp where 50% or more of the campers have identified medical problems;

Personnel required to meet emergency safety standards, for example the number of persons that require certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid; and

Camp health supervisors, or their designees, trained to administer medicine to campers.

In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.

“Applicant” means an individual who is seeking to become a youth camp owner, operator, employee, or volunteer who will have access to a camper.

“Central Repository” means the Criminal Justice Information System Central Repository of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

State criminal history records check; and

National criminal history records check.

A complete set of the applicant’s legible fingerprints taken in a format approved by the Director of the Central Repository and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation;

The fee authorized under § 10–221(b)(7) of the Criminal Procedure Article for access to Maryland criminal history records; and

The mandatory processing fee required by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a national criminal history records check.

Is confidential;

May not be redisseminated; and

May be used only for the personnel screening procedures authorized by this subtitle.

The number of youth camps;

The number of facilities in each county;

The number of campers; and

Any other pertinent information.

The Council consists of 11 members.

Of the 11 Council members:

The Governor shall appoint the Council members with the advice of the Secretary and the advice and consent of the Senate.

The term of a member is 3 years.

The terms of members are staggered as required by the terms provided for members of the Council on July 1, 1986.

At the end of a term, a member continues to serve until a successor is appointed.

A member who is appointed after a term has begun serves only for the rest of the term and until a successor is appointed.

Members of the Council:

Investigate complaints received regarding a youth camp; and

Require appropriate training, including knowledge of outdoor camping, for a camp inspector.

Before a youth camp makes a formal offer of employment to a job applicant, the operator of the youth camp may request from the Department a determination as to whether the results of a national or State criminal history records check would be the basis for prohibiting the hiring of the applicant.

Within 3 business days after receipt of a request from the operator of a youth camp under paragraph (1) of this subsection, the Department shall issue a written determination to the youth camp as to whether the results of a national or State criminal history records check would be the basis for prohibiting the hiring of the applicant.

A determination issued by the Department under paragraph (2) of this subsection is binding on the Department and the youth camp unless the applicant:

The Department may set a reasonable fee to cover the cost of a criminal history records check required under this subsection.