Lawmakers are continuing to advance a bill they say would connect homeless individuals with services through interactions with police, while critics argue it would criminalize people for sleeping outside.

The proposal would allow people to be charged with a Class C misdemeanor for camping or sleeping in public areas.

Bill sponsor Representative Cyndi Carrasco said the measure is designed to move people off the streets and toward assistance rather than punish them. “The bill is structured so that the initial interactions are focused on intervention rather than punishment.” she said.

Jeff Balon, president of the Indiana Sheriff’s Association, said adding a criminal penalty to homelessness would shift the burden to local jails. “Us and the county jail becoming a homeless shelter, a quasi-homeless shelter, is not the answer.”

Republican Representative Wendy McNamara said she believes the state — and particularly Indianapolis — has not made progress on the issue in recent years. “I stay up here in Indianapolis and have to step over feces, step over urine, step over homeless people. How do we address this?”

The bill now moves to the full House.

Story from Indiana Public Broadcasting