Sponsors (30)
The bill protects basic survival, privacy, religious exercise, and property rights for people living on federal public land and creates enforceable remedies, while trading off management flexibility, potential public-safety/sanitation challenges, and higher litigation or compliance costs for agencies and taxpayers.
People experiencing homelessness can use federal public land for life-sustaining activities (sleeping, eating, resting) without fear of penalty, reducing immediate harms of being displaced from public spaces.
People living in vehicles or storing belongings on public land gain stronger property and privacy protections (limits on unreasonable searches, treatment of stored property like a private dwelling), plus rules for reasonable vehicle relocation/retrieval and reduced-rate storage, lowering risk of loss and out-of-pocket costs.
People experiencing homelessness retain religious exercise and solicitation rights on public land, preserving free exercise protections and access to donations while occupying public spaces.
Federal land managers may have reduced ability to address public-safety, sanitation, and access problems in parks, plazas, transit facilities and other public spaces if penalties or removals are restricted, potentially worsening health and safety for broader urban communities.
Permitting occupancy, vehicle parking, and protected storage on public land could concentrate encampments in certain public areas, affecting nearby residents' perceived safety, use of property, and neighborhood conditions.
The bill creates a new avenue for private litigation and increased DOJ enforcement against agencies, raising the risk of higher federal compliance and legal costs funded by taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Bars federal agencies from penalizing homeless people for survival activities and certain uses of public land, adds civil remedies and a necessity defense when no adequate indoor alternative exists.
Official title: To prohibit the criminalization of homelessness on Federal public lands.
Introduced June 26, 2025 by Pramila Jayapal · Last progress June 26, 2025
Prohibits federal agencies from penalizing people experiencing homelessness for certain life-sustaining activities and for using public land and accommodations in specified ways. It creates a civil right to sue for injunctive relief and fees, an affirmative necessity defense for criminal charges when adequate indoor alternatives are unavailable, and definitions and procedures to protect people with disabilities, pets, partners, and possessions.