Georgia bill would allow state to create homeless camps

A Georgia Senate bill could compel cities and counties to enforce bans on homeless people sleeping or camping in public. The measure also lets the state designate camping areas for homeless people and calls for an audit of spending on homeless programs. The Senate State & Local Government Operations Committee voted 4-3 to advance Senate Bill 62 on Monday. It now heads to the full Senate for more debate. This is the second year in a row Republican Sen. Carden Summers of Cordele has offered a bill on homelessness. Last year’s bill was harsher, making it a misdemeanor to camp on public property and denying grants to cities that didn’t enforce the ban.