Abbott, Paxton send letter reminding cities to uphold camping ban

Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton have issued a joint letter to Texas cities reminding them the camping ban must be enforced.

AUSTIN, Texas - Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a joint letter to the Texas Association of Counties, the Texas Municipal League, and cities across the state reminding communities that House Bill 1925, which bans camping in public places, must now be enforced across the state.

The Governor signed HB 1925 into law in June, and the law went into effect on Wednesday, September 1. The Governor and Attorney General Paxton claim that failure to enforce the law by local officials could result in costly litigation and a loss of state grant funds.

The letter says significant federal funding has been made available to local entities to help the homeless, totaling over $358,000,000. In addition, the state says it made $52.9 million available last month to homeless service providers and plans to make an additional $100,000,000 available next month.

"Local entities like yours should uphold the rule of law by enforcing this public camping ban," reads the letter. "In the coming months, we will be monitoring local entities across Texas to ensure compliance with House Bill 1925. We trust that you will begin enforcing the public camping ban in good faith. Doing so will achieve our shared goal of delivering improved services for the homeless and safer communities for everyone."

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