The State of Texas passed a law banning homeless encampments and withholding funding from cities that fail to comply.
Posted by The Benny Show, Checked
- Sources
- 2 support4 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 65%
The Benny ShowOct 28, 2026
Texas enacted a statewide ban on public camping (HB 1925, signed in 2021 and enforced from September 2025), and state officials say local failure to enforce can bring a loss of state grant funds, so the core claim is supported.
What was said
… I don't see any homeless encampments. I don't, you know, I don't know, I don't know. The buildings aren't covered in graffiti, and I don't see any, I don't see the city burning, to, because in, in Texas, the state can override local governments, and so we passed a law banning homeless encampments and will withhold funding from any city that fails to comply. And, and so, whether homeless encampments or lack of enforcement of law, whatever the case may be, so there was an episode you probably missed about two months ago where the city of Houston cast a vote where they were no longer going to comply with ICE …
The Benny Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Governor Abbott and AG Paxton's 2025 letter states HB 1925 bans camping in public places statewide, that the Governor signed it in June, and that it took effect September 1.[2]
Supports. The letter warns that failure by local officials to enforce the law could result in costly litigation and a loss of state grant funds, which supports the funding-withholding element.[2]
Supports. A 2022 report says Texas passed a law banning camping in public places statewide that punishes localities that fail to enforce the ban, and that Texas is the only state where cities risk penalties for failing to enforce.[4]
Context. A 2025 Texas Tribune report says a Senate bill (SB 241) that would have withheld some tax dollars from non-complying cities was abruptly spiked, and SB 241 text published in 2026 is a committee report, so the tax-withholding provision is not clearly enacted.[3][5][6]
Context. A 2022 AP report describes Texas as one of several Republican-led states that passed laws prohibiting street camping while diverting money, which is consistent with the ban being enacted.[1]
Sources
6 sources: 1 fact-checker, 2 primary, 3 not rated
- 1Cities seek to control camping amid growing homeless crisisapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 2Governor Abbott, Attorney General Paxton: Public Camping Ban Must Be Enforcedgov.texas.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 389(R) SB 241 - Senate Committee Report versioncapitol.texas.gov · primary source · cited for: context
- 4How one group sparked bills to ban homeless camps across several ...thecurrentga.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Texas lawmaker spikes bill to strengthen homeless camp bantexastribune.org · not rated · cited for: context
- 6Texas Senate Weighs Withholding Tax Dollars From Cities ...thetexan.news · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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