"I've never felt so misplaced," Black said, gazing at the swarm of activity around him outside the Senate chambers.

They found a receptive audience among southern Utah politicians. The teens were ushered into a meeting room, where they sat in comfy chairs as legislative aides walked in and out.

"All of the kids, for the most part, are under 18," said Michelle Benward, who is with the group New Frontiers for Families. "They're living in St. George, without supervision. They're on their own, working, doing their best."

Over the noise of an overhead page calling lawmakers to vote, the teens and their advocates told their stories. The lawmakers' faces grew more concerned with each story they heard. Boys told about being kicked out and having their families cut ties to them to remain in the FLDS Church.

"They tell you (that you) need to repent from a distance," said one boy, named "Jeremy."

"Repent for what?" asked Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, whose district includes Hildale.

"For whatever they think you did wrong," Jeremy replied.

The politicians quizzed the advocates about foster care, the Division of Family Service, Workforce Services and other state programs. The Legislature passed a law last year intended to make it easier for such teens to emancipate themselves. Benward said it has helped, but many children are still falling through the cracks.

"When I go into DCFS, they say it's an Arizona problem. When I go into Workforce Services, they want to know where their mom is. Some of the kids just don't know," she said.

"Even if they did, they would not vilify their parents," Price added.

The lawmakers were receptive but showed a little sticker shock at the funding request — $250,000 each year for the next 10 years. The advocates want it attached to a bill to help homeless youth.

"It's far more difficult to try and invent a whole new system than it is to work within the framework that we've got," Rep. David Clark, R-Santa Clara, told the group.

Shaking hands with the teens as they were leaving, Rep. Brad Last, R-St. George, told the Deseret Morning News he would look into what he could to do to help.

"What happens when you look into these kids' faces, it just makes it real," he said. "It's a very unique problem."

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com