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Kansas Moves To Criminalize Homelessness, Violators Face Fines And Limited Resources
The bill would allow the state attorney to sue cities for not following the law and having higher homelessness as determined by the state average.
Homeless service providers and advocates shared their concerns with Kansas lawmakers about a bill they say would criminalize homelessness and doesn’t offer solutions to the state’s problem. Lawrence Times reports that the bill hopes the cities would see fewer homeless camps in public areas, forcing homeless people to go to shelters or face legal consequences.
If signed into law, sleeping and camping on state or local government-owned lands without written authorization would be a crime. It would be a misdemeanor charge, resulting in a $1 fine for the first offense.
The first hearing called the “Safe Cities Act,” was held on Thursday, March 2. It was the first of many hearings on the bill. They have a long way to go before the bill turns into law.
The Texas-based Cicero Institute lobbied for the legislation, arguing that the bill is ensuring cities are following laws already in place to help reduce the homeless population in Kanas.
