Correction appended.

SALEM – Oregon lawmakers gave final approval Monday to a bill that would allow Portland officials to break up homeless camps on Oregon Department of Transportation property within the Portland urban growth boundary.

Senators approved House Bill 4054 unanimously Monday after representatives unanimously approved it last week.

Supporters of the bill have said it would bring state and city policy in line, resulting in a clear and consistent approach to removing illegal campsites. Current law only allows Portland officials to clear camps on city land – not state property, too. Others have said they worry the bill will cause more sweeps of homeless camps.

The bill passed Monday also affects timelines for removing homeless camps. Currently, the Oregon Department of Transportation gives campers 10 to 19 days to clear out before the camp is removed and any leftover property seized. Under House Bill 4054, a camp on state property may be removed two days after a notice is posted near the campsite.

For its part, the city is firmly in support of House Bill 4054. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and all other city commissioners submitted a letter to the Legislature supporting the proposal. They said it would undo "statutory barriers" that make it tough to apply a consistent approach to removing homeless camps on state land versus city land. They said the bill would help the city address "the causes and symptoms of homelessness with compassion."

Opposite the city are several civil rights groups, including the Oregon wing of the American Civil Liberties Union. Its lobbyists were officially neutral on the bill, but said sweeps of homeless camps are "not the answer we should be searching for." An ACLU representative testified that, instead of more sweeps, the state should develop safe places for the homeless to camp and build more housing among other measures.

House Bill 4054 now heads to Gov. Kate Brown who can make it law with her signature.

-- Gordon R. Friedman

503-221-8209; @GordonRFriedman

Correction, Feb. 27: An earlier version of this story inaccurately stated that the ACLU of Oregon opposed House Bill 4054. In fact, the ACLU of Oregon was neutral on the bill.