Austin News

Still up for consideration by Texas lawmakers, House Bill 1925 ban homeless encampments to try and prevent the eyesores from popping up around cities. 

If the legislation is passed, it could cause cities to lose state grant money as a result of failing to enforce the ban, a Texas Tribune report said.

"Housing First is not only the moral choice to solve homelessness; it's fiscally responsible too. The data shows us that providing people with housing is cheaper than criminalization. HB 1925 does not solve homelessness. A ban is not a plan," state Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Dallas) said in an April 26 Facebook post.

One of the reason lawmakers are pushing this bill is because of a rise in crime among the homeless population, one representative said. 

“We've seen a huge increase in not only the number of homeless living under bridges or on the streets, but also the rise in crime,” state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R-Southlake), author of the bill, said. “And really the difference has been that, at least in this case, this city has overturned their own ban.”

As part of HB 1925, camping in public would be banned. Violators would be cited with a Class C misdemeanor charge punishable with a $500 fine, KVUE reports.

“We as a state must act to make sure that our public spaces are safe and that our homeless population is taken care of,” state Sen. Dawn Buckingham (R-Lakeway) sa."id. "The situation has simply gotten out of control

Democrats have attempted to amend the bill by requesting that the penalties be lowered for those people experiencing homelessness, as they would not be able to pay the fines. State Rep. Joe Deshotel (D-Beaumont) also brought to the House's attention a discrepancy in the bill's witness list causing HB 1925 to be sent back to the Urban Affairs Committee, KVUE reports. 

HB 1925, if passed, would also punish cities and counties that pass any policies contrary to the bill by cutting the funding that area receives for police enforcement. 

In Austin on May 1, voters reinstated the camping ban in the city. Residents have complained that allowing encampments on public property has created health and safety issues for the city.