ACLU of Indiana Says Panhandling Amendment is Unconstitutional

INDIANAPOLIS — The House Courts and Criminal Code Committee amended SB 335 to include a panhandling amendment Wednesday.

ACLU of Indiana Statement:

“The panhandling amendment in SB 335 is an unconstitutional attack on free speech that targets those who are most vulnerable. In committee hearings, proponents of the amendment claimed that this was modeled after a Texas panhandling ordinance implied to have been approved by the ACLU. The ACLU of Indiana did not have any knowledge of this amendment and does not support these types of attacks on free speech.

“The Indiana legislature should be trying to remedy the reasons people find themselves in these situations in the first place. Criminalizing poverty is never a solution.”