Connecticut 2025 Regular Session Status: In Committee

HB 7033 — AN ACT PROHIBITING A MUNICIPALITY FROM IMPOSING ANY PENALTY ON HOMELESS PERSONS FOR PERFORMING ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING ON PUBLIC LAND.

Last action — FILE NO. 243

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2025 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

165 added · 42 removed

165 line(s) added, 42 removed.

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General Assembly Raised Bill No.
House of Representatives General Assembly File No.
7033 January Session, 2025 LCO No.
243 January Session, 2025 Substitute House Bill No.
4944 Referred to Committee on HOUSING Introduced by:
7033 House of Representatives, March 25, 2025 The Committee on Housing reported through REP.
(HSG) AN ACT PROHIBITING A MUNICIPALITY FROM IMPOSING ANY PENALTY ON HOMELESS PERSONS FOR PERFORMING LIFE- SUSTAINING ACTIVITIES ON PUBLIC LAND.
FELIPE of the 130th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the House, that the substitute bill ought to pass.
AN ACT PROHIBITING A MUNICIPALITY FROM IMPOSING ANY PENALTY ON HOMELESS PERSONS FOR PERFORMING ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING ON PUBLIC LAND.
(3) "Public land" means any property that is owned or leased, in whole or inpart, by any state or localgovernment entity or any property upon which there is an easement for public use and that is held open to the public, or any federal land where local law enforcement has jurisdiction to enforce local laws, including, but not limited to, plazas, courtyards, parking lots, sidewalks, public transportation facilities and services, public buildings, shopping centers, underpasses and lands adjacent to roadways and parks;
(3) "Public land" means any property that is owned or leased, in whole or inpart, by any state or localgovernment entity or any property upon which there is an easement for public use and that is held open to the public, or any federal land where local law enforcement has jurisdiction to enforce local laws, including, but not limited to, plazas, courtyards, parking lots, sidewalks, the outside area of public transportation facilities and services, public buildings, shopping sHB7033 / File No.
LCO No.
243 1 sHB7033 File No.
4944 1 of 3 Raised Bill No.7033 (4) "Recreational vehicle" has the same meaning as provided in section 14-1 of the general statutes;
243 centers, underpasses and lands adjacent to roadways and parks.
(5) "Life sustaining activities" includes, but is not limited to, moving, resting, sitting, standing, lying down, sleeping, protecting oneself from the elements, eating, drinking and storing such personal property as needed to safely shelter oneself;
"Public land" does not include any school grounds;
(4) "Recreational vehicle" has the same meaning as provided in section 14-1 of the general statutes;
(5) "Activities of daily living" includes, but is not limited to, sleeping or resting, eating or preparing food, seeking shelter from extreme weather, accessing medical care and using hygiene facilities;
(b) No municipality may enact any ordinance and no individual may take any action that infringes upon the right of homeless persons to use public spaces without discrimination based on housing status in accordance with this section, including the right to:
(b) No municipality may enact any ordinance and no person may take any action that infringes upon the right of homeless persons to use public spaces without discrimination based on housing status in accordance with this section, including the right to:
(1) Conduct life sustaining activities on public land, provided such activities do not obstruct the normal movement of pedestrian or vehicular traffic in such a manner that creates a hazard to others, or onprivate property with the permissionofthe property owner,unlesssufficient adequate alternative indoor space is available to the homeless persons in a given jurisdiction and has been offered to the individual, including transportation for the individual and such individual's belongings;
(1) Conduct activities of daily living on public land, provided such activities do not obstruct the normal movement of pedestrian or vehicular traffic in such a manner that creates a hazard to others, or onprivate property with the permissionofthe property owner,unlesssufficient adequate alternative indoor space is available to the homeless persons in a given jurisdiction and has been offered to the individual, including transportation for the individual and such individual's belongings;
(5) pray, meditate, worship or practice religion in public spaces without discrimination based on housing status;
(5) pray, meditate, worship or practice religion in public spaces;
and (6) occupy a motor vehicle or a recreational vehicle, provided such vehicle is parked (A) on public property and is not parked in a position that obstructs the normal movement of traffic or creates a hazard to other traffic upon the LCO No.
and (6) occupy a motor vehicle or a recreational vehicle, provided such vehicle is parked (A) on public property and is not parked in a position that obstructs the normal movement of traffic or creates a hazard to other traffic upon the highway, or (B) on private property with thepermission sHB7033 / File No.
4944 2 of 3 Raised Bill No.
243 2 sHB7033 File No.
7033 highway, or (B) on private property with the permission of the private property owner.
243 of the private property owner.
(c) Any person or municipality that violates any provision of this section shall be assessed a civil penalty not to exceed ____ dollars, to be fixed by the court, for each offense.
(c) Any person or municipality that violates any provision of this section shall be assessed a civil penalty of not less than fifty dollars and not to exceed one hundred dollars, to be fixed by the court, for each offense.
Section 1 July 1, 2025 New section Statement of Purpose:
Section 1 July 1, 2025 New section Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
To prohibit a municipality from imposing any penalty on homeless persons for performing life sustaining activities on public land.
In Subsec.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets.
(b), "individual" was changed to "person" for consistency and in Subsec.
Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.] LCO No.
(b)(5), the phrase concerning discrimination was deleted as duplicative.
4944 3 of 3
HSG Joint Favorable Subst.
sHB7033 / File No.
243 3 sHB7033 File No.
243 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.
In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.
Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.
OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 26 $ FY 27 $ Resources of the General Fund GF - Potential See Below See Below Revenue Gain Note:
GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:
Municipalities Effect FY 26 $ FY 27 $ Various Municipalities Potential See Below See Below Cost Explanation The bill imposes a civil penalty of $50 to $100 on any person or municipality that infringes on the rights of homeless people to use public spaces.
This may result in a potential cost to municipalities beginning in FY 26 to the extent they receive a civil penalty.
The bill also allows the Attorney General to bring a civil action against someone who violates the provisions of the bill resulting in a potential revenue gain to the state to the extent violations occur.
The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to inflation and the number of penalties.
sHB7033 / File No.
243 4 sHB7033 File No.
243 OLR Bill Analysis sHB 7033 AN ACT PROHIBITING A MUNICIPALITY FROM IMPOSING ANY PENALTY ON HOMELESS PERSONS FOR PERFORMING ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING ON PUBLIC LAND.
SUMMARY The bill prohibits municipalities from enacting ordinances that infringe on the right of homeless people to use public spaces without discrimination based on their housing status.
It also prohibits any person from taking any action that has the same effect.
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The bill specifies the protected activities and locations.
For example, the bill broadly protects a homeless person’s right to conduct activities of daily living (e.g., preparing food and seeking shelter from extreme weather) on public land (see below), if it does not create a hazard to pedestrians or traffic.
The bill also (1) imposes a civil penalty, fixed by the court, of $50-100 per offense on any person or municipality that violates the bill’s prohibitions and (2) requires the attorney general, upon an aggrieved person’s request, to bring a civil action in Superior Court to recover the penalty.
The bill uses the same broad definition of “homeless person” that appliesinfederallaws on theInteragency CouncilonHomelessness and certain homelessness response programs.
The term refers to, among others, people (1) who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence;
(2) with a primary nighttime residence not designed for use as a regular sleeping place (e.g., car, park, and transit station);
(3) who reside in a shelter or similar temporary living arrangement;
or (4) imminently at risk of losing their housing.
It also broadly includes children and domestic violence victims lacking stable housing.
sHB7033 / File No.
243 5 sHB7033 File No.
243 EFFECTIVE DATE:
July 1, 2025 PUBLIC LAND DEFINED Under the bill, “public land” is (1) land a state or local government owns or leases in whole or in part and that is held open to the public;
(2) land upon which there is an easement for public use and that is held open to the public;
and (3) federal land where local law enforcement has jurisdiction to enforce local laws.
The bill specifies that public land includes plazas, courtyards, parking lots, sidewalks, the outside area of public transportation facilities and services, public buildings, shopping centers, underpasses, and lands adjacent to roadways and parks.
The bill specifically excludes “school grounds” but does not define the term.
(While the bill defines the term “public land,” it does not define the terms “public spaces,” “public places,” or “public property.”) RIGHTS PROTECTED UNDER THE BILL The specific rights the bill protects are listed below, including any parameters for exercising the right.
Activities of Daily Living The bill specifies that the right to use public spaces (presumably, “public land”) free from discrimination based on housing status includes the right to conduct do any activities of daily living (see below) on:
1.
public land, as long as they do not obstruct in a hazardous way normal pedestrian movement or traffic flow;
or 2.
private property with the permission of the property owner.
Under the bill, “activities of daily living” include, but are specifically not limited to, sleeping or resting, eating or preparing food, seeking shelter from extreme weather, accessing medical care, and using hygiene facilities.
The two above-listed rights to engage in daily living activities only exist if the person has not been offered adequate alternative indoor sHB7033 / File No.
243 6 sHB7033 File No.
243 space inthemunicipality,including transportation ofthepersonand his or her belongings to the space.
(It is unclear who would be required to make this offer.) Under the bill, “adequate alternative indoor space” is a space that is legally and physically accessible to an individual and doesnot require himorher to sacrifice any other personalright afforded under federal, state, or local law.
(The bill does not specify who would determine whether a “sacrifice” is required.) Other Specifically Protected Activities Additionally, under the bill, a homeless person has a right to the use of public space without being discriminated against based on their housing status.
Specifically, the bill gives homeless people the right to:
1.
use and move freely in places of public accommodation (the bill also prohibits these actions if based on perceived housing status);
2.
be free from civil or criminal sanctions for soliciting, sharing, accepting, or offering food, water, money, or other donations in public places;
3.
(a) privacy of their personal property stored in public places, to the same degree as property in a private dwelling, and (b) to be free of the unreasonable search and seizure of their property;
4.
pray, meditate, worship,or practice religioninpublicspaces;
and 5.
occupy a motor vehicle or a recreational vehicle (including a camper or motor home) parked (a) on public property but not in a position that obstructs the normal movement of traffic or creates a traffic hazard, or (b) on private property with the permission of the private property owner.
COMMITTEE ACTION Housing Committee Joint Favorable Substitute Yea 14 Nay 4 (03/06/2025) sHB7033 / File No.
243 7
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Action History

  1. FILE NO. 243

  2. HOUSE CALENDAR NUMBER 171

  3. FAV. RPT., TABLED FOR HOUSE CALENDAR

  4. RPTD. OUT OF LCO

  5. REFERRED TO Office of Legislative Research AND Office of Fiscal Analysis 03/24/25

  6. FILED WITH LCO

  7. Joint Favorable Substitute

  8. PUBLIC HEARING 0227

  9. REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Housing

Sponsorship breakdown

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0 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 187 not signed on

Sponsors (0)

None.

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (187)

187 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

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Subjects

public-safety housing civil-rights
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Frequently asked questions

What is the current status of HB 7033?
This bill died with 2025 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
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