People will no longer be allowed to ask for money "aggressively" in St. Louis County.
That's if County Executive Sam Page signs a bill passed by the council 6-1 on Tuesday.
The bill prohibits following people, blocking the road, or approaching people in an intimidating way to ask for money.
It also bars people from soliciting money on a public bus, near a bank, on private property and at night. Councilman Mark Harder, R-Ballwin, said the bill is about keeping drivers and solicitors safe.
"We've had people in my district get hurt and injured and killed when they've tried to solicit on the roadways," he said.
Councilwoman Lisa Clancy, D-Maplewood, was the sole vote against the bill. Courts have overturned county ordinances that restrict soliciting before, and she said they could do so again.
"If this bill is enforced, it is unconstitutional. We will get sued, we will lose," Clancy said. "So I'm curious why we would proceed and perhaps the council would feel differently if the legal costs from this were coming from our own budget."
The Rev. Larry Rice of New Life Evangelistic Center in Overland also spoke against the bill. He said it could further criminalize homeless people in a county that has done little to support them.
"It's a hard job to panhandle in this heat. People are desperate, they're in need. If they don't get $100 a day, they're going to sleep outside on the streets — that's what hotel costs are going up to and beyond."
Rice said the county doesn't have a low-barrier, walk-in shelter or many resources that are easy to access for people experiencing homelessness.
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