Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Homelessness Encampments topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Appropriations committee deadlocks on shelter-and-encampment bill after widespread concerns
Summary
Representative Knox’s bill to authorize designated public camping areas with minimum standards and inspections failed to pass the House Appropriations Committee after a roll-call vote. Supporters said the measure would provide dignity and basic sanitation; opponents warned of unfunded mandates and risks to federal funding for service providers.
The House Appropriations Committee voted on House Bill 619, a bill by Representative Knox that would allow municipalities to designate sites for public camping with minimum standards (porta-potties and hand-washing stations), require inspections and authorize an encampment mitigation fund. The sponsor said the measure is optional for local governments and intended to create humane, accountable options where unsanctioned encampments exist.
Proponents, including the bill sponsor and several parish clerks and local officials, described recurring recruitment and sanitation problems in their districts and urged the committee to adopt standards for portable sanitation and inspections. Representative Knox described the bill as “balanced, and more importantly, compassionate,” and said it does not criminalize homelessness.
Opponents included homeless-service providers and housing advocates who warned the bill as drafted risked exposing sensitive client data and interfering with federal grants and subrecipient rules. Joe Mueller of Unity of Greater New Orleans, which coordinates homeless services in Orleans and Jefferson parishes, said the bill could create conflicts between state reporting demands and federally required privacy protections for service recipients.
Fiscal concerns were central in committee debate: the draft fiscal note listed indeterminable potential costs for local governments and state agencies. Committee members repeatedly raised the possibility the proposal could create unfunded mandates for small municipalities if they chose to establish a sanctioned encampment.
After lengthy debate and adopted technical and clarifying amendments, members held a roll-call vote. The motion to report House Bill 619 as amended failed on a roll call: 11 ayes and an equal or greater number of no votes (final tally recorded in committee). Representative Knox indicated she would continue work on the measure but the bill did not pass the committee.
The committee adopted several technical amendments earlier in the hearing; the sponsor said some stakeholders had helped craft language but several major homelessness advocates nonetheless submitted opposition cards. Vice Chair Hughes noted the bill had “heartburn” among members and suggested additional negotiation would be prudent.
