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Senate panel hears bill to compel local enforcement of public camping ban; advocates and service providers sharply divided

2555406 · March 10, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Senators heard a contentious hearing on SB 241, which would force local entities to resolve complaints about illegal public camping within 90 days and give state officials tools to act if jurisdictions do not comply.

The committee heard lengthy public testimony on Senate Bill 2 41, which would require local entities to investigate and resolve complaints about unlawful public camping within 90 days. If a local entity does not act, the attorney general may declare the jurisdiction "a violating local entity" and the comptroller may withhold sales tax allocations to recover state costs of abatement.

Senator Pete Flores, author of SB 241, said the bill seeks enforcement of an existing state law that makes public camping illegal outside of designated, approved sites. He told the panel the measure "will make…

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