HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Harris County could soon crack down on panhandling, but some say they worry it could impact an already overcrowded jail.
If you approach an intersection, more than lights or a road sign may greet you. Sometimes you may find someone looking for money, food, or trying to sell you an item.
Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey said he receives a lot of complaints about those actions.
“I get as many calls on this issue as almost anything else that happens in Precinct 3,” Ramsey said.
In mid-October, Ramsey had the item on the commissioners’ court agenda. He said he did show after state lawmakers passed a bill this past session, which went into effect last month.
The ordinance vote, though, stalled at the last meeting. Ramsey added the item to this week’s agenda.
He said he wants the county to explore an ordinance that would ban panhandling in unincorporated streets and medians and prevent street vendors.
Ramsey said the ordinance could still give people a way to collect money.
“By creating designated safe zones away from busy traffic,” Ramsey explained.
Ramsey said instead of tickets, they’d focus on warnings and providing resources. Commissioner Rodney Ellis, though, worries that giving tickets could put more people in an already overcrowded jail.
Instead, he said they may vote to look closer at the issue.
“I am worried about whether or not, as we try to do something about unhoused people filling up that jail quicker than we intended,” Ellis said.
Harris County is considering this ordinance on Thursday, but one other southeast Texas county has already implemented a panhandling ordinance. Two months ago, Montgomery County commissioners adopted one similar to what Harris County wants to do.
If caught, violators face a misdemeanor. ABC13 reached out to the sheriff’s office to see how many tickets have been issued but hasn’t heard back. Not all counties can do this.
The law has population requirements. It shows that Fort Bend County would be the only other place in our region that could do this.
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