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Proposed bill would require Montgomery County panhandlers be permitted
A Montgomery County legislator is proposing panhandler permit legislation.
ROCKVILLE, Md. - A newly proposed panhandler bill is drawing debate in Montgomery County. The measure would require those panhandling to first obtain a county permit before they can solicit vehicles on roadways where the speed exceeds 25-miles-per-hour.
Bill 15-21 Solicitation of Vehicle Occupants in High-Speed Roadways – Permit Requirement, was recently introduced by Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice, who previously introduced a failed bill that would have banned panhandlers from roadway medians.
This new bill would require those wanting to panhandle on certain county roadways, to affirm they will follow certain road safety rules before they can obtain a soliciting permit. Those rules include obeying traffic signals and only panhandling during daylight hours. The bill says home address information would be asked, but
An abandoned sign at a pocket park on Capitol Hill, in the 800 block of D Street SE. Image by Mike Licht licensed under Creative Commons.
A bill introduced by Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice on April 20 would require a permit to solicit money or donations from vehicles on high-speed roadways. A public hearing is scheduled for May 10.
The legislation opens with a section on pedestrian safety, saying the county’s Vision Zero action plan “requires greater safety measures related to the dangerous activity of pedestrians soliciting and collecting items from the occupants of vehicles in roadways.”
But critics in Montgomery County are calling Rice’s legislation an “anti-panhandling initiative,” saying it isn’t about traffic safety but rather about “criminalizing unhoused communities.” Bethesda Beat reported Wednesday that the bill has gotten mixed reviews from advocates for people experiencing homelessness and low-income individuals.