Washington state Democrat pushes to give homeless special civil rights
A Democratic state representative in Washington state is pushing legislation that aims to make homelessness a civil right, according to a report.
State Rep. Mia Gregerson is promoting a bill that would make homeless people a protected class and shield them from “discrimination based on housing status,” according to a draft of the bill obtained by “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.
“[M]any communities within Washington are enacting and enforcing laws that disproportionately impact homelessness or make living in public a crime,” the legislation reads. “These laws are potentially unconstitutional, make it harder for people to exit homelessness, do not solve the underlying problem of homelessness, and waste precious public funds.”
The bill comes in response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson, in which the nation’s high court held that the Eighth Amendment’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment does not prevent a city from enforcing public-camping ordinances against the homeless.
The drafted legislation says it would grant the homeless “the right to survive in a nonobstructive manner” on public property, including plazas, courtyards, parking lots, sidewalks, public transportation facilities and services and room or areas within public buildings that are open to the public and during normal operating hours.
It further states the homeless would be allowed to live on public property when “that person has no reasonable alternative but to survive in public space and existing shelter facilities within the local government’s jurisdiction are inadequate in number or are functionally inaccessible.”
Kevin Schilling, the mayor of Burien, a suburban city in Gregerson’s district, told “The Jason Rantz Show” that he was “disappointed” that the representative did not consult the City Council or city before drafting the legislation.
“My hope is the legislature this year works to offer support to cities by expanding substance use disorder programs, emergency shelter capacity, and law enforcement assistance so that each element of this issue can be tackled accordingly,” he said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Gregerson’s office for comment but did not immediately hear back.