Two bills that would regulate how Mississippi citizens solicit and camp in public spaces, understood to specifically address the homeless population, easily passed the state House of Representatives on Wednesday.
House Bill 1197, the “Safe Solicitation Act,” was authored by Rep. Shanda Yates, I-Jackson. Should it be affirmed by the Senate and the governor’s desk in the coming months, a permission-based system would be established that requires those panhandling in public spaces to acquire a permit.
According to Rep. Yates and others in support of the potential law, the primary motivation behind the bill is to give law enforcement the ability to penalize those either aggressively panhandling or doing so in an unsafe manner.
“We’re getting tons of complaints, especially from mayors but also from constituents all across the state, about the fact that over the years we’ve really done away with a lot of the penalty side of issues dealing with homelessness, vagrancy, and panhandling,” Senator Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, chairman of the Senate Judiciary B Committee, said about legislation that address homelessness.
“Law enforcement really has very little that they can hold over the person’s head in terms of penalties or fines. That’s our fault, that’s not law enforcement’s fault.”
After HB 1197 was amended to allow municipalities to opt out of applying the measure within six months following the bill’s effective date if signed into law, it was swiftly passed 81-30 through the House chamber.
While the bill received minimal pushback on the floor, another similar measure that would regulate Mississippi’s homeless population received stingier opposition.
House Bill 1203 would prohibit camping in any area that is not specifically designated as a camping area by a municipality or a county. The legislation runs parallel to HB 1197 in that it would provide local law enforcement and municipal courts the ability to assess fines on those camping in non-designated areas, though the bill also establishes that no imprisonment could be assessed to offenders.
Multiple lawmakers questioned Rep. Yates about how HB 1203 would potentially affect homeless people. The bulk of the opposition came from Rep. John Hines, D-Greenville, who repeatedly inquired about what options homeless people would have if they were displaced by authorities, and how municipalities would be equipped to properly care for those with nowhere to go.
“They would be encouraged to utilize shelters,” Rep. Yates responded.
But Rep. Hines was not satisfied with the solution proffered by Yates. Hines went on to raise questions about the bill, arguing that the legislation would serve to present more problems for the homeless than it would provide solutions for municipalities, such as individuals not being able to pay the proposed $50 fine for camping on non-designated public property.
Others, including Rep. Jeffrey Hulum, D-Gulfport, also questioned the issues that would arise for many who have no other option other than to camp outdoors. Rep. Cheikh Taylor, D-Oktibbeha, called the legislation a violation of “civil and human rights” and said the bill “puts an additional burden on those who are already vulnerable.”
But Yates stood by the bill, citing a 2024 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that a similar Oregon statute was constitutional.
“I think what it does is makes it important for people maybe are vulnerable to seek out help in the right channels as opposed to sleeping in areas that are not safe, or sleeping in areas that make it unsafe for others,” Yates responded to Taylor.
Rep. Hines offered a sweeping amendment to the bill that, as the lawmaker explained in a passionate speech before the House, would be a comprehensive solution that served to provide housing, resources, and other care to the more than 100,000 homeless people in Mississippi.
Hines’ amendment overwhelmingly failed, with Yates explaining that HB 1203 was designed to address a specific solution and that it was impossible for one bill to “fix homelessness.”
HB 1203 easily passed the House by a vote of 72-32 and will now be passed to the Senate for approval. Should the legislation make it through the other legislative chamber and be signed into law by Governor Tate Reeves, it would take effect on July 1 with municipalities having six months to opt out.
