A Missouri law that prohibited homeless people from sleeping on state land has been struck down. The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled the law is unconstitutional because it covers multiple unrelated issues.
(AP) — The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a law that threatened homeless people with jail time for sleeping on state land.
The judges’ ruling means unhoused people no longer face up to 15 days in jail and a $500 fine after an initial warning for sleeping on state land without permission, and vaccine mandates for public workers now are allowed in Missouri.
The law, enacted in 2022, also had prohibited state funding from being used for permanent housing for homeless people, instead directing it toward temporary shelters and assistance with substance use and mental health treatment.
Records obtained by The AP show attempts to clear homeless encampments increased in cities from Los Angeles to New York as public pressure grew to address what some residents say are dangerous and unsanitary living conditions.
In March, bulldozers took down what was left of a once-busy homeless encampment along the Mississippi River and near the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, ending nearly a year of debate over what to do about it.
Supreme Court judges ruled against the Missouri law without discussing the potential impact of the homelessness policy, instead focusing on whether that issue fits under the bill’s subject: political subdivisions.
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(AP) — The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a law that threatened homeless people with jail time for sleeping on state land.
The judges’ ruling means unhoused people no longer face up to 15 days in jail and a $500 fine after an initial warning for sleeping on state land without permission, and vaccine mandates for public workers now are allowed in Missouri.
The law, enacted in 2022, also had prohibited state funding from being used for permanent housing for homeless people, instead directing it toward temporary shelters and assistance with substance use and mental health treatment.
Records obtained by The AP show attempts to clear homeless encampments increased in cities from Los Angeles to New York as public pressure grew to address what some residents say are dangerous and unsanitary living conditions.
In March, bulldozers took down what was left of a once-busy homeless encampment along the Mississippi River and near the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, ending nearly a year of debate over what to do about it.
Supreme Court judges ruled against the Missouri law without discussing the potential impact of the homelessness policy, instead focusing on whether that issue fits under the bill’s subject: political subdivisions.
The original article contains 495 words, the summary contains 202 words. Saved 59%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!