TX House passes statewide camping ban Thursday

The Texas House passed legislation that would create a statewide public camping ban Thursday in an 88-56 vote. HB 1925 would create a Class-C misdemeanor for individuals who knowingly camp in a public place and punish local governments that do not enforce the plan.

The bill still needs a final vote of approval in the House, while an identical bill in the Texas Senate remains in committee. There is an identical bill in the Texas Senate, but it is still in committee.

The move comes less than a week after voters in Austin reinstated a similar ban that was removed two years ago. The bill was filed before the Saturday election, in which 57% of Austinites voted to reinstate the ban – an initiative added to the ballot through a petition signed by at least 24,000 people.

Camping bans have led to court battles across the country. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas sued the city of Houston in 2017 for its encampment ban, but the lawsuit was withdrawn in 2019.