SHB 2244 -
By Representative Miloscia
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 A new section is added to chapter 43.185C
RCW to read as follows:
(1) A city, town, or county may not prohibit a religious
organization that owns or leases real property that qualifies for a
property tax exemption under chapter 84.36 RCW from hosting temporary
encampments for the homeless. However, a city, town, or county may
impose reasonable conditions to ensure public health and safety and may
require the following:
(a) Reasonable advance notice of the encampment to the community;
(b) A public meeting held in the vicinity of the proposed
encampment providing information concerning the encampment before its
establishment;
(c) A resident limit of one hundred persons for a given encampment;
(d) Compliance with regulations on the presence of children
overnight in the encampment;
(e) A limit on duration of an encampment, but not less than ninety
days;
(f) Reasonable privacy screening, such as view-obstructing fencing,
from surrounding lots;
(g) Submission of a parking plan for the use of on-street parking
by the religious organization or the encampment due to the presence of
the encampment on the religious organization's on-site parking areas;
(h) Reasonable inspections of the encampment by government
officials related to public safety, health, and fire safety; and
(i) Establishment and enforcement of a reasonable code of conduct
by encampment residents.
(2) Local governments may not impose permit fees for a temporary
encampment hosted by a religious organization that in the aggregate
exceed five hundred dollars for one encampment period.
(3) Cities, towns, and counties must respond to a temporary
encampment permit application submitted by a religious organization
within sixty days of submission of a completed application.
(4) This section does not preclude a city, town, or county from
seeking all reasonable and appropriate remedies from the host religious
organization or the encampment, or both, in order to prevent or remedy
an imminent threat to or impairment of public health or safety.
Reasonable fines may only be imposed for endangering public health or
safety or for violations of restrictions imposed under subsection
(1)(a) through (h) of this section.
(5) This section does not affect or is not intended to affect
existing agreements between cities, towns, or counties and religious
organizations or homeless advocacy groups regarding homeless
encampments, or to prevent the renewal of such agreements."
EFFECT: Specifies that religious organizations subject to this act are those that qualify for a property tax exemption under chapter 84.36 RCW. Outlines specific requirements that a city or county may impose in order to ensure public health and safety, which include an encampment limit of 100 persons, reasonable privacy screening, submission of parking plans, and reasonable inspections related to health and fire safety. States that reasonable fines may only be imposed for endangering public health or safety or for violations of specific authorized restrictions included in the act. Clarifies that cities, towns, and counties are not precluded from seeking reasonable and appropriate remedies from religious organizations and/or the encampment to prevent or remedy threats to public health or safety. States that existing agreements between local jurisdictions and religious organizations and the renewal of such existing agreements are not subject to this act.