H.R. 6174: Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets Act

This bill, titled the "Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets Act," aims to enhance public safety by addressing issues related to crime, vagrancy, and homelessness through several key measures. The main goals include restoring civil commitment procedures, establishing stricter regulations regarding public behavior, and redirecting federal resources toward effective methods of treating homelessness and related issues.

1. Purpose

The bill's purpose is to improve public safety by:

• Restoring civil commitment for individuals who are unable to care for themselves due to mental health issues or other reasons.
• Combating vagrancy on the streets through institutional treatment and support.
• Redirecting federal funding toward initiatives that effectively address homelessness and its contributing factors.

2. Restoring Civil Commitment

The bill proposes that the Attorney General, alongside the Secretary of Health and Human Services, take actions to:

• Challenge judicial precedents that limit the civil commitment of unhoused individuals.
• Support state and local governments in applying flexible civil commitment and treatment standards for those in need.

3. Fighting Vagrancy

The bill emphasizes the need for state and local governments to establish and enforce regulations aimed at:

• Prohibiting illicit drug use in public places.
• Restricting urban camping and loitering.
• Preventing urban squatting.
• Providing pathways for unhoused individuals to receive treatment and support through civil commitment.
• Ensuring compliance with sex offender registration requirements for those without fixed addresses.

4. Actions by the Attorney General

The Attorney General would be tasked with:

• Assessing whether unhoused individuals arrested for federal crimes are sexually dangerous and certifying them for civil commitment if appropriate.
• Making funds available for encampment removal in areas where public safety is at risk.
• Ensuring individuals with serious mental illnesses are not released due to a lack of available treatment facilities.
• Requiring housing release plans for those incarcerated or in reentry centers.

5. Redirecting Federal Resources

This section requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to:

• Focus discretionary grants on evidence-based programs for substance abuse treatment and prevention, avoiding funding for ineffective programs.
• Provide assistance to outpatient treatment programs for unhoused individuals with mental illness or addiction.
• Ensure federal funds support services that actively reduce homelessness.

6. Increasing Accountability in Homelessness Programs

The bill seeks to enhance accountability in programs for homelessness through measures such as:

• Ending "housing first" policies that do not promote accountability and recovery efforts.
• Increasing competition for grants to improve service effectiveness.
• Mandating participation in substance use treatment or mental health services as a condition for receiving housing assistance.

7. Safe Consumption Sites and Housing Regulations

Recipients of federal housing assistance that engage in activities such as operating drug injection sites must be reviewed for compliance with federal law. Additionally:

• Housing programs for women and children will be adjusted to prevent sex offenders from being housed with unrelated children.
• Health-related information related to assistance recipients may be collected and shared with law enforcement as needed.

8. Definitions

The bill provides definitions for key terms, including:

• Step-down treatment: A phased approach to transition individuals from intensive treatment to community-based services.
• Unhoused individual: Someone who poses risks to themselves or others and cannot be adequately sheltered for three consecutive months or more.
• Urban camping: Temporary outdoor shelters used as primary accommodations exceeding 24 hours in non-designated areas.
• Urban squatting: Unauthorized occupation of vacant properties.

Relevant Companies

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