Texas Think Tank Inspires Crackdown on Homeless
As homeless encampments have become increasingly visible, legislators in states and cities around the country have begun pushing tough legislation created by the Cicero Institute, a Texas-based think tank.
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As homeless encampments have become increasingly visible in recent years, legislators in states and cities around the country have begun pushing legislation created by the Cicero Institute, a Texas-based think tank, reports Pew Stateline. A model bill created by the Institute would make sleeping on public property a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 and a month in jail. and deny state funding for nonprofits that don’t enforce it.
Nine bills introduced in six states in the past two years have matching or similar language to the bill, the “Reducing Street Homelessness Act,” which would create state-sanctioned homeless encampments where displaced people can stay for up to six months. The Cicero Institute was founded in 2016 by Joe Lonsdale, the billionaire co-founder of software company Palantir.
