Page 6 - AT

A6 U.S. NEWS
Friday 1 November 2019
Boy Scouts to boost annual youth fees by more than 80%

By DAVID CRARY and families away from
AP National Writer scouting and to seek out
NEW YORK (AP) — Facing a BSA alternatives. "
potentially ruinous wave of Brandon Boos, a leader
new sex-abuse lawsuits, the of a Cub Scout pack in
Boy Scouts of America is Worthington, Ohio, said the
increasing its annual youth magnitude of the increase
membership fee by more was understandable but
than 80%. he faulted the timing.
The group says the move, "The roll-out did not demon-
which has dismayed many strate the same high quality
of the Scouts' adult volun- of character we are trying
teer leaders who warn the to instill in our Scouts," Boos
increase is prohibitively wrote on the blog.
steep for some, is needed In a subsequent email to
to meet rising operating The Associated Press, Boos
costs, notably for the liabil- said he still loves the Boy
ity insurance that covers all Scouts, plans to continue
official Scouting activities. as a volunteer and hopes
For years, the BSA has been other parents do likewise.
entangled in costly litiga- Donald Dement, a volun-
tion with plaintiffs who said teer leader with his sons'
they were abused by scout Boy Scout troop in Frisco,
leaders in their youth. Hun- Texas, said most of the par-
dreds of lawsuits may lie ents would have no trou-
ahead with the recent en- In this June 25, 2016, file photo, Cub Scouts watch a race during the Second Annual World Cham- ble affording the higher
actment of laws in New pionship Pinewood Derby in New York's Times Square. fees, while hard-up families
York, New Jersey, Arizona Associated Press would likely get assistance
and California making it from their troops.
easier for victims of long- tried to offset the decline protection and safety train- The organization says it will Dement said some con-
ago abuse to seek dam- by admitting girls, but the ing. strive to assist families who servative families in Frisco
ages. membership rolls will take The national fees do not feel they cannot afford the continue to resent ma-
The fee increase, disclosed a big hit as of Jan. 1, when cover costs for uniforms higher fees. It announced jor changes made by the
to the Scouts' regional the Church of Jesus Christ and handbooks, which creation of a fund, sup- BSA in the past decade —
councils last week, seeks to of Latter-day Saints — for can easily exceed $100 per ported through donations, these included opening its
relieve some of the finan- decades a major sponsor year. to provide financial assis- programs to girls, and ad-
cial pressure. As of Jan. 1, of Boy Scout units — cuts Scores of the Scouts' volun- tance. mitting gays as scouts and
the annual membership its ties with the BSA and teer adult leaders weighed Many of the volunteer adult leaders. One local
fee for 2.2. million youth launches its own global in on the fee increase in leaders commenting on troop, he said, made hats
members will rise from $33 youth programs. comments on a blog oper- the blog were upset by the for summer camp last year
to $60; the fee for adults In its announcement, the ated by the BSA's Scouting timing of the announce- emblazoned with "Make
will rise from $33 to $36, the BSA made no specific ref- Magazine. Several of the ment. It came after Scout Scouting Great Again."
Scouts said. The increases erence to the sex-abuse liti- leaders warned that the units had already begun But regarding the fee in-
could generate more than gation but made clear the increase would be finan- collecting fees for their crease, he said most scout-
$60 million in additional fee increase was driven by cially burdensome for low- 2020 registration renewal ing families "will be under-
funds in the coming year. insurance costs. income families and might process and setting their standing and accepting."
The BSA says it's exploring "Unfortunately, the cost of drive them away from budgets for the coming The Boy Scouts filed law-
"all available options" to liability insurance we must scouting. year. suits last year against six of
maintain its programs and carry to cover all Scout- The BSA insists that the "I am extremely disappoint- its own insurers, saying they
has not ruled out the pos- ing activities has increased scouting remains a good ed in the handling of this in- have improperly refused
sibility of declaring bank- dramatically over the past value, compared with crease," wrote John Guild, to cover some of the sex
ruptcy. several months, and the or- many other organized a Dallas attorney who has abuse liabilities incurred by
As part of that process, the ganization is no longer able youth activities. helped lead a Cub Scout the organization. The insur-
Scouts said they are consol- to offset the cost of insur- "While most extracurricu- pack and slammed the ers say the coverage obli-
idating their departments ance," the BSA said. lar activities are seasonal, move for lack of transpar- gation is voided because
and recently eliminated In addition to insurance, Scouting is a year-round ency as well as its poor tim- the BSA failed to take ef-
more than 35 positions at its the BSA said, membership program that remains one ing. Guild also questioned fective preventive mea-
National Service Center. fees cover other "essential of the most valuable in- how effective the fee in- sures such as warning par-
The BSA's current youth services" such as back- vestments we can make crease would be, contend- ents that scouts might be
participation is down from ground checks for adult to support young men ing that the BSA "is facing abused.
more than 4 million in peak leaders, program develop- and women," the BSA an- hundreds of millions of dol- "We believe insurance
years of the past. It has ment and updated youth nouncement said. lars is liabilities and tens of companies should uphold
millions of dollars in legal their commitments by pay-
fees." ing their share of claims,"
Jason Krut, who is active the BSA said in an email
with a Pittsburgh-area Cub to The Associated Press on
Scout pack, called the in- Thursday. "We remain in
crease "unconscionable." disputes with some carriers
"It reeks of incompetence and look forward to a reso-
and mismanagement," he lution that benefits victims
wrote on the blog. "It will and helps them on their
force children, leaders, journey towards healing."q