Housing not Handcuffs Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 4182 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4182 To prohibit the criminalization of homelessness on Federal public lands. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 26, 2025 Ms. Jayapal (for herself, Mr. Frost, Ms. Ansari, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Norton, Mrs. Ramirez, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Thanedar, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Velazquez, Mrs. Watson Coleman, and Mr. Garcia of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, Natural Resources, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To prohibit the criminalization of homelessness on Federal public lands. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Housing not Handcuffs Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES. (a) Prohibition.--A Federal agency may not impose a penalty on a homeless individual for a permitted use of public land as described under subsection (b). (b) Permitted Use of Public Lands.--A homeless individual may-- (1) conduct life sustaining activities on public land; (2) use and move freely in places of public accommodation (as such term is defined in section 201 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000a(b)); (3) solicit, share, accept, or offer food, water, money, or other donations; (4) store their possessions and enjoy privacy in their personal property to the same degree as property in a pr