Georgia Bill Lets Property Owners Sue Cities for Homelessness

0:00It's April 4th. Welcome to Global News Today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Georgia lawmakers just passed a bill that lets property owners sue local governments for not cracking down on public camping, loitering, panhandling, or bans on sleeping outside. It also hits cities that don't fully cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. If Governor Brian Kim signs it, folks could claim cash for lost property values or extra costs from these issues. The sponsor, Republican Rep Houston Gaines from Athens, says it's about making cities enforce the law so business owners and homeowners don't foot. The bill for unchecked encampments, lawmakers slipped in the last minute tweak allowing courts to force locals to follow anti-sanctuary rules too. Democrats and homelessness groups are pushing back hard, calling it cruel and pointless. They argue it would lead to arrest just for lacking a place to sleep, spark taxpayer-funded lawsuits, and ignore real fixes like more housing and job, help. One advocate labelled it a political stunt targeting immigrants.

1:03This bill is on a 2024 state law that ties funding to immigration cooperation and it echoes a failed bill from last year after a deadly, Atlanta encampment cleanup. The homelessness parts draw from ideas by a Texas conservative think tank pushing similar bans nationwide. Now the bill sits on Kim's desk, sparking debate on whether suing city's boost safety or just punishes the vulnerable, either way it's got Georgia. Talking about accountability versus compassion.