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Senate Judiciary hears debate on 'Stop Squatters Act' aimed at faster removals and penalties
Summary
Supporters said SB101 gives property owners and law enforcement clearer tools to remove unauthorized occupants; opponents, including civil-rights and housing groups, called the bill vague, potentially punitive to unhoused people and duplicative of existing trespass laws.
Senator Becky Beard, sponsor of Senate Bill 101, told the Senate Judiciary Committee the Stop Squatters Act would strengthen property owners’ ability to regain possession and clarify penalties for false claims, including an indemnity requirement for owners who knowingly give false information to law enforcement. "Essentially, the language in this bill reforms and strengthens protections so that property owners can expeditiously regain possession of their property," the sponsor said.
Proponents framed the bill as a property-rights and public-safety measure. Jim Manley, state legal policy chief for the Pacific Legal…
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