House OKs bill to protect teens in wilderness therapy camps

WASHINGTON — The House approved a bill Tuesday aimed at protecting teens enrolled in wilderness therapy camps, several of which are based in Utah.

Several provisions in the bill are modeled after Utah's state regulations on the wilderness camps, and although the bill passed 318 to 103, Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, would have rather seen the state continue to handle the facilities.

"We are dealing with a situation here which is more anecdotal than actual," Bishop said on the House floor Tuesday. "In short, this is an approach in which the states, especially my state, are actually solving the problem in a better way right now. We do not need the federal government to be involved in this particular program."

The bill, introduced by House Education and Labor chairman George Miller, D-Calif., stems from a Government Accountability Office investigation that found cases of abuse, neglect and even death in these programs, including five deaths in Utah. It also detailed deceptive practices the camps use to get parents to enroll their children.

Miller held hearings on the camps, including testimony from former participants and parents of children who died while participating.

The bill would:

• Prohibit physical, sexual and mental abuse of children enrolled in such programs as well as require that participants get adequate food, water and medical care.

• Establish new staff training requirements.

• Authorize a toll-free hotline for people to call and report abuse.

• Call for the Health and Human Services Department to create a Web site with any abuse information connected to a specific program.

• Require programs to better explain staff roles and responsibilities to parents looking for more information on sending their children to the camps or therapies.

• Provide $50 million per year through 2013 to Health and Human Services to carry out the provisions.

States have three years to set safety and other standards created in the bill if the Senate also passes it and Bush signs it into law.

During floor debate on Tuesday, Bishop took issue with some parts of the bill, saying it is based on only partial facts.