Sen. Tom Hatch is sponsoring legislation to crack down on unsafe group homes, but had been opposed to government meddling in private boarding schools.

The Panguitch Republican has had a change of heart, agreeing to add boarding schools to his bill, adopting language almost word-for-word from West Jordan Republican Sen. Chris Buttars' bill.

Senate Bill 107 will now give the state regulatory power over schools such as northern Utah's Majestic Ranch boarding school, reclassifying such facilities as "therapeutic."

The school's director, Tammy Johnson, originally fought Buttars' plan. But in the wake of a string of mostly unfruitful state investigations into complaints of child abuse and neglect, Johnson asked Hatch to adopt it.

The Senate approved the amended the measure on Monday, which now heads to the governor for his signature.