It looks like Michigan Democrats are trying to push the “Homeless Bill of Rights” (House Bill 4919 [1]) across the finish line – yet another piece of legislation they think they might be able to ram through the state’s legislature before they lose the majority in the House. It sounds great, right? Maybe – if your goal is to recreate the dystopian streets of San Francisco right here in the Midwest.
Rep. Emily Dievendorf (D-Lansing) who introduced the bill back in 2023 released a statement [2] saying that the House Economic Development and Small Business Subcommittee on Housing reported out House bill 4919 and the bill now heads to the full committee.
Dievendorf added, “I am thrilled that we took a huge step in the right direction today to ensure no Michigander is discriminated against due to their housing status. This legislation sets a baseline for how our neighbors should be treated in this state – all Michiganders, regardless of their housing status, should be treated with the same dignity and respect.”
From protecting the “rights” of the homeless in public spaces to ensuring unhindered access to city services (because who doesn’t love a tent village in their local park?), the proposal reads like a wishlist for anyone who’s never had to clean up after a sidewalk encampment.
The plan [3] appears to let the homeless occupy public spaces without pesky interruptions like law enforcement. Your tax dollars? Still funding those parks, sidewalks, and libraries, but don’t count on actually using them. You’ll just have to work your afternoon jog around the guy “exercising his right to exist” with a bottle of cheap vodka on a city bench.
The bill says, “The right to use and move freely in public spaces, including, but not limited to, public sidewalks, public parks, public transportation, and public buildings, in the same manner as any other individual and without discrimination on the basis of the individual’s housing status.”
So if a locality doesn’t have – or won’t enforce – their own ordinances (like Traverse City), the homeless are free to set up shop on whatever public property they want – for as long as they want.
Proponents argue that this measure is about human dignity, but let’s call it what it is: a band-aid on a bullet wound. Addressing homelessness by enshrining public squatting as a right does nothing to solve root causes like addiction or mental health struggles. It’s like trying to cure a toothache with a donut – it’s not going to work, but it sure will make things worse.