Missouri Homeless Camp Crackdown Legislation Threatens Kansas City Funding

With new laws on the books, GOP-controlled Jeff City is shaking their fist and attempting to solve the growing homeless crisis in KC & STL . . .

Here are the basics and a sign that so many cowtown homeless camp sites (i.e. - open drug markets) might soon be a thing of the past . . . Check-it . . .

GOP Gov. Mike Parson signed the bill into law over objections from his own administration, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

The Missouri House had a "moment of silent prayer" and recited the Pledge of Allegiance before passing the legislation, which will go into effect on January 1, 2023.

The law states that "no person shall be permitted to use state-owned lands for unauthorized sleeping, camping, or long-term shelters." The first offense gets a warning, and the second gets a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by 15 days in prison, or a $750 fine . . .

The kicker . . .

"Cities that don't "enforce any ordinances prohibiting public camping, sleeping, or obstruction of sidewalks," can be sued by the Missouri attorney general. Those "with a higher per-capita homelessness rate than the state average will not receive further state funding" until they lower their per-capital homelessness rate or enforce statewide bans, the legislation said."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

A new Missouri law makes it a felony for the homeless to sleep on state-owned land including under bridges and overpasses

A new Missouri law makes it a felony for the homeless to sleep on state-owned lands, like under bridges and overpasses. Gov. Mike Parson signed the bill into law over objections from his own administration that it would harm the homeless. The law also dictates that cities can only use state funding for temporary shelters, not long-term housing.