- Oct 7, 2011
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Charitable organizations and human rights activists in Houston hope to put an initiative on the November ballot that would reverse a controversial new ordinance which makes it a crime to feed the homeless, or otherwise give food away, without special permission.
On April 4 the Houston City Council passed the law, ruling that feeding the hungry requires the permission of property owners wherever it occurs including the City of Houston, if the feeding happens on public property.
Council members passed the law by a a 11-6 vote; the regulations are set to take effect in July, according to Mayor Annise Parkers office.
Amber Rodriguez, executive director of Noahs Kitchen in Houston, told The Daily Caller that the new ordinance will shut her organization down if it is upheld. A single fine from the city, she said, could hurt the charity significantly.
The maximum penalty for violating the ordinance is a misdemeanor charge accompanied by a $500 fine. The original proposal, submitted by Mayor Parker, included fines as high as $2,000.
Rodriguez said a $500 fine would keep Noahs Kitchen from providing roughly 750 meals to individuals who need them.
Initially, the mayor also wanted all charitable food to be prepared in city-certified kitchens, at least one person from each feeding organization take a food safety class and that everyone who wants to feed the homeless register with the city, according to the Houston Chronicle. Those requirements were eventually struck from the final version, and registration was made voluntary.
Read more: Houston Charities | Feeding The Homeless | Government Permission | The Daily Caller
On April 4 the Houston City Council passed the law, ruling that feeding the hungry requires the permission of property owners wherever it occurs including the City of Houston, if the feeding happens on public property.
Council members passed the law by a a 11-6 vote; the regulations are set to take effect in July, according to Mayor Annise Parkers office.
Amber Rodriguez, executive director of Noahs Kitchen in Houston, told The Daily Caller that the new ordinance will shut her organization down if it is upheld. A single fine from the city, she said, could hurt the charity significantly.
The maximum penalty for violating the ordinance is a misdemeanor charge accompanied by a $500 fine. The original proposal, submitted by Mayor Parker, included fines as high as $2,000.
Rodriguez said a $500 fine would keep Noahs Kitchen from providing roughly 750 meals to individuals who need them.
Initially, the mayor also wanted all charitable food to be prepared in city-certified kitchens, at least one person from each feeding organization take a food safety class and that everyone who wants to feed the homeless register with the city, according to the Houston Chronicle. Those requirements were eventually struck from the final version, and registration was made voluntary.
Read more: Houston Charities | Feeding The Homeless | Government Permission | The Daily Caller