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Committee removes solicitation clause from loitering law after AG warning; bill passes 5‑2
Summary
Senate Bill 271 removes from the loitering statute a clause criminalizing someone who lingers while "asking for anything as charity or a gift," a change the Attorney General said fixes an Eighth Circuit ruling finding the clause a First Amendment content restriction; the committee passed the bill 5‑2 on a roll call.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 5‑2 to advance Senate Bill 271, a one‑page revision to the state loitering statute that strikes language criminalizing loitering for the purpose of asking for charity or a gift.
Senator Johnson, sponsor of SB 271, told the committee the change is narrowly intended to address public‑safety concerns where people loiter in places that create traffic hazards and to remove a content‑based restriction the courts have found unconstitutional. "When you do that,…
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