Indiana Senate Axes Camping Ban from Unsafe Buildings Bill – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana lawmakers removed a controversial public camping ban from an unrelated piece of legislation in a conference committee Thursday, citing a Senate relevancy rule. But, they warned, it could come back, according to a report by Taylor Wooten in the Indiana Business Journal.
House Bill 1662 would have made camping on public property a misdemeanor offense, but its author, Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland, chose not to call the bill down by the House’s mid-February deadline, essentially killing the legislation.
Then, earlier this month, members of the House quickly amended language similar to that of HB 1662 into Senate Bill 197, prompting some lawmakers and advocates for the homeless to voice concerns about the lack of public notice regarding the change.
This week, the Senate dissented to the House’s changes and sent the bill into conference committee.
Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, who authored SB 197, told the committee Thursday that none of the House’s changes would stay in the legislation, citing the Senate’s germaneness rule, which prohibits any amendments or changes that are not relevant to the bill’s intent. Since SB 197 focused on civil penalties related to unsafe buildings, the House’s changes have been axed, he said.
Freeman announced the decision at the start of the conference committee, indicating that the caucus had slashed the language behind closed doors. He warned that it doesn’t mean the end of the proposal altogether.
“For those playing along, I’m sure it’ll end up in another bill,” Freeman said. “Because if somebody wants it, they’re going to find a home for it. But it will not be in Senate Bill 197.”
Click here to see the complete article in the Indiana Business Journal.
