This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2005, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Legislation billed as a way to help youths evicted from polygamous homes - known as the "lost boys" - died in a Senate logjam last year. On Wednesday, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff told the Judiciary Interim Committee the bill, which would allow a judge to emancipate a minor at age 16, is among his top priorities. Shurtleff said hundreds of young men need help after being cast out by their polygamous families in the towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz. The two towns are populated with members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). The youths are persecuted for their behavior or forced out as competition for older men seeking plural wives, Shurtleff said. They often don't want to see their parents prosecuted. "I've had kids in my office who have been kicked out of the community on trumped-up charges," Shurtleff told lawmakers Wednesday. "I think we are going to see more of these kids." Once alone, said bill sponsor Rep. Roz McGee, D-Salt Lake City, the youths have no way to finish school, get medical care, or live and work independently without permission from parents, who often refuse it. Gayle Ruzicka said her conservative Eagle Forum group is concerned the bill might allow youths across the state to sever ties with their parents at times when they need parental guidance. Supporters said the bill lays out an extensive process for teens, who must prove to a juvenile court judge that it is in their best interest. The bill passed out of the committee with three lawmakers voting against it as drafted: Rep. Scott Wyatt, R-Logan; Rep. David Hogue, R-Riverton, and committee chairman Sen. Dave Thomas, R-South Weber. - Elizabeth Neff