Rashida Tlaib’s new ‘Unhoused Bill of Rights’ would protect homeless camping

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., introduced legislation last week that would significantly expand rights for the homeless and overhaul how the government treats Americans living on the streets by siphoning billions from defense spending.

The “Unhoused Persons Bill of Rights” calls for government-led intervention to end homelessness over the next three years and introduces more than a dozen protections for homeless people.

If passed, Tlaib’s legislation would include freedom of movement for homeless people in public spaces, affordable housing, “livable” wages, universal healthcare and panhandling.

Under the resolution, homeless individuals would have the “right to uninhibited access” to public parks, transportation, facilities, sidewalks, buildings, restrooms and other spaces — meaning they could legally set up camp in such public spaces.

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The homeless population would also be given the right to internet access and the necessary technology to achieve that.

A spokesperson for Tlaib did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment regarding how that provision would work in practice.

While the resolution is nonbinding, meaning it does not carry the force of law, Tlaib’s recommendations indicate how the left could push for changes to homeless policy if Democrats retake power in Washington after the 2026 midterms.

Tlaib’s proposal would, however, grant the homeless population “freedom from harassment” by law enforcement, private businesses, property owners and “housed residents.”

Specifically, homeless individuals would be given protections against “banishment” from private property, which the Michigan Democrat’s measure characterizes as a violation of an individual’s “fundamental civil and human rights.”

The homeless population grew to more than 771,000 in January 2024, its highest-ever recorded level, according to a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) report released that year.

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Several provisions of Tlaib’s resolution appear to directly challenge a Supreme Court ruling in 2024 that made it easier for cities to crack down on homelessness by allowing local ordinances to enforce bans against camping on public property.

More than 100 local governments across the United States prohibited homeless camping following the court’s decision, NPR reported.

Tlaib’s measure sharply criticizes state and local governments that have banned “panhandling, loitering, sleeping in tents or vehicles,” among other activities associated with the homeless population.

The resolution also directs the federal government to achieve a long-shot goal of ending the “unhoused crisis” by 2029.

Among Tlaib’s recommendations is requiring the Trump administration to siphon off at least $168 billion in defense spending to “permanently end and prevent” individuals from experiencing homelessness. 

Her resolution does not specify what the nearly 20% of annual defense spending would be used for. 

“Having access to a safe place to live is a human right,” Tlaib said in a statement upon introducing the legislation. “Every year, Congress passes another record-breaking military budget, and President Trump just requested a $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget this year. Experts say it would cost a fraction of this to end homelessness in our country.”

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Tlaib’s measure is similar to a resolution first introduced by former Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., in 2021. Bush, a one-time member of “the Squad,” is mounting a comeback bid to reclaim her St. Louis-based House seat in November’s midterm elections.