HB 2160 REQUIRES STATE LICENSING OF “BOOT CAMPS”
FOR TROUBLED YOUTH
Current state licensing requirements include a dangerous loophole. State law requires “child welfare agencies” that provide care and maintenance for children to be licensed by the Department of Economic Security. There is, however, an exemption for camps operating less than 12 months per year. While the exemption was intended for summer camps that children attend for several weeks, it also exempts boot camps designed to change the behavior of troubled youth.
Changes in licensing laws are needed to help parents protect their children.
Lastsummer, 14-year-old Anthony Haynes was attending an unregulated, private boot camp. He died on July 1 after collapsing from heat exposure and being left alone in a bathtub. This tragedy made it clear that under current law, boot camps that use physical force and extreme behavior management techniques can operate without a license.
Without a revised licensing law, Arizona risks becoming a haven for unscrupulous operators who prey on desperate parents seeking help for their children. State law is designed to protect children from abuse or neglect by parents or by agencies or institutions. Boot camps should be no exception.
Changes to the licensing law will cost nothing to the state’s general fund. The
Department of Economic Security already licenses child welfare agencies and the Department of Health Services licenses behavioral health agencies in the state. HB 2610 requires the licensing of agencies that care for troubled children and use restrictive behavior management techniques. Because this change would apply to relatively few operators, it would not require the hiring of additional licensing personnel.
Please vote YES on HB 2610 to protect children and to help the parents who
are trying to guide them to a productive, law-abiding future.
For more information, please contact:
Beth Rosenberg
Children’s Action Alliance
4001 North Third Street, Suite 160
Phoenix, AZ 85012
(602) 266-0707
Email:
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