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Senate committee substitute seeks broad new tools to limit camping, solicitations and encampments; debate centers on services and enforcement
Summary
A Senate committee substitute would create misdemeanors for certain camping, loitering and aggressive panhandling activities, authorize permits for solicitation and require evaluation and referral for mental-health or substance-abuse services for detainees who appear in need.
The Senate on Monday debated a sweeping committee substitute intended to give local governments and law enforcement more tools to address public encampments, aggressive panhandling and related behaviors while adding requirements to connect people to social services.
Chairman Fillinghain, who led the bill’s development, described the measure as an omnibus response to complaints from municipalities across the state. The committee substitute would make it unlawful to camp on public property in certain circumstances, require a 48-hour written notice before further enforcement for identified encampments, and treat repeated camping as a misdemeanor with graduated fines and possible jail terms. It would also designate camping violations as a public nuisance that a prosecuting attorney could enjoin and would authorize municipalities and counties to remove encampments on private property when owners request…
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