AUSTIN, Texas — The father of an 8-year-old Beaumont girl who died in a devastating flood at a Texas summer camp testified before state lawmakers Wednesday, urging them to pass mandatory safety regulations to prevent future tragedies.

Clarke Baker, of Beaumont, whose daughter Mary Grace Baker , 8, was among 27 girls killed at Camp Mystic on July 4, appeared before the Senate Disaster Preparedness and Flooding Select Committee as lawmakers consider legislation to strengthen camp safety standards.

"My daughter should still be here. Her death was 100% preventable," Baker told the committee. "Complacency, among other things, led to the deaths of 27 amazing, innocent, beautiful girls."

Mary Grace Baker had recently received the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seaton Award at her school just weeks befo

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