Texas House approves bill to ban homeless encampments, protect cities from 'violent or hazardous activity'

The Texas House of Representatives has approved legislation to ban homeless encampments in unapproved public spaces across the state.

House Bill 1925 would make camping in an unapproved public place a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500, according to the Texas Tribune. The legislation passed 88-56 on May 6 and was was sponsored by 19 Republicans and one Democrat. The bill was authored by state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R-Southlake).

“There’s still no one, literally no one, that believes that people living outside without shelters is right," Capriglione said, according to the Texas Tribune. "This is a humanitarian issue, plain and simple. This bill helps individuals, families and business owners across the state who are unduly subjected to violent or hazardous activity linked to the rise in public camping."

The approval comes one week after voters in Austin approved Proposition B, which seeks to reinstate the city's public camping ban that was lifted in July 2019, reported KVUE News. Advocates of the bill say that lifting the encampment ban led to a surge of tent encampments throughout the city and an increase in local crime.

"Public safety should never be compromised by 'woke' city councils," State Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R-Arlington) wrote in a May 6 Facebook post. "Though Austin’s ban on camping was overwhelmingly reinstated by voters who repudiated their city leaders last week, the Legislature is working to ensure no city ever allows public camping in the future. We need to tackle the issue of homelessness directly— not just ignore it and allow it to fester and create public safety concerns that drive tourism away."

Critics of the bill argue that criminalizing public encampments wouldn't solve the problem of homelessness in Texas and would only criminalize homeless people.

“We need more state dollars going to substance use disorder programs, job training programs and rental assistance," Rep. Vikki Goodwin (D-Austin) said, the Texas Tribune reported. "If we truly want to end homelessness, we need to address the root causes, not just sweep the homeless population back into the woods.”

Some Austin residents claim that homeless encampments on public property created health and safety risks.

Camping bans across the country have led to expensive court battles. In February, a decade-long lawsuit against the City of Boise, Idaho resulted in a settlement requiring the city to allocate $1.3 million for homelessness efforts.

The bill is expected to soon get final passage and move on to the Senate.