If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

The Virginia legislature is in a battle over their  eminent domain laws, as a watered down bill that essentially maintained the status quo was amended by a broadbased coalition from both parties. They replaced the  watered down legislation with a strong and restricting amendment keeping the government from taking a taxpayers property to increase tax revenue.

The legislature will have to now reconcile the bill with the senate version in which they will try to keep the restrictive language out and keep their new found power. I hope and pray this group of legislators will look after the publics welfare and not only try to increase their power and tax base. Private property is much too important a concept to fool with.

But a carefully crafted compromise bill (HB 94) aimed at clearly delineating government’s eminent domain powers hit a wall of opposition in the House, as a bipartisan coalition forced through an amendment to impose greater restrictions on a government’s power to condemn private property for public use.

The push to revamp Virginia’s eminent domain law stems from the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial ruling last year in Kelo v. New London, which upheld a Connecticut city’s decision to condemn homes for a waterfront development.
The bill, sponsored by Del. Terrie Suit, R-Virginia Beach, defines public purposes for which land can be condemned and states that eminent domain cannot be used “if the primary purpose is the enhancement of tax revenues.”

But some House members wanted to make a stronger statement against eminent domain, and they rallied behind an amendment sponsored by Del. Johnny Joannou, D-Portsmouth. Joannou’s amendment stripped out the definitions of public use in Suit’s bill and replaced them with broad language aimed at limiting government’s power to condemn property and transfer it to private entities. via The Roanoke Times

Related posts:

1. Georgia Governor Calls For Eminent Domain Constitutional Amendment
2. Minnesota Legislature Works on Tough Eminent Domain Laws
3. Georgia Governor Perdue Signs Tough Eminent Domain Legislation
4. Alabama Legislature Eminent Domain Bill Considered Too Weak
5. US Senate Sits On Eminent Domain Legislation - Property Rights Groups React