State Rep. Dwight Tosh, R-Jonesboro, filed a bill last week to "criminalize unlawful squatting," an act where someone takes residence on a property without permission and has become a bane of landlords and property owners.

House Bill 1049, which Tosh filed on Thursday, would make it a class B misdemeanor for someone to knowingly enter or reside on a property and cannot produce a deed or mortgage statement, a lease agreement or "(a) receipt or other reliable evidence of rent payment," dated within the last 60 days.

Tosh said he introduced the bill saying some of his constituents are concerned about the possibility that squatters could claim the right to remain on their property without their permission. The bill, which was filed on the second day of pre-filing ahead of the Jan.