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Bill could give federal oversight to private clinics for children and would require FDA inspections
Washington, D.C. -
In a move that could have implications for D.C.’s troubled special education system, a panel of lawmakers Wednesday passed sweeping legislation that gives federal authorities the right to inspect private children’s clinics and schools. The bill would require the federal Department of Health and Human Services to inspect therapeutic schools, clinics, camps and ranches every two years and to fine or shut down any outfit that fails minimum standards for safety and care. It passed the House Education and Labor Committee by a vote of 27-16. Proponents of the measure said it would protect children and their families from fly-by-night operators who promise miracle cures to mentally ill or disabled children and then warehouse the children with little regard to their safety or welfare. Thousands of D.C. kids have been shipped to camps and clinics all over the country for decades. There have been repeated complaints of abuse and low standards, but as The Examiner has reported, D.C. officials were hardly aware of where the kids were, let alone what was happening to them. It’s a program that will cost taxpayers nearly $210 million this year. Tom Kiley, spokesman for health committee Chairman George Miller, D-Calif., told The Examiner that the bill was necessary to keep kids out of harm’s way. “A number of children from the District, like thousands of children from all over the country, have been sent across state lines to residential programs where physical, sexual and emotional abuse has occurred,” he said in an e-mail. “We want to make sure that kids are safe no matter what state or setting they are in.” The legislation has encountered resistance from trade associations linked to the lucrative private clinic and camp industry. Opponents of the bill said it’s an unnecessary layer of government interference imposed on an industry that’s capable of policing itself. Miller’s bill now moves on to the full House floor for passage. bmyers@dcexaminer.com |