Senate Fails to Vote on Eminent Domain Legislation

The Senate took a pass at bringing a vote to the floor on the eminent domain issue, allowing Federal dollars to be used to take others properties for private gain. The Republican leadership attempted to bring the eminent domain issue for a vote, but a Senator placed a block on the legislation. This denied the opportunity to bring the Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2006 to a vote even after the House backed the measure with a strong bipartisan vote.

Morons… Eminent domain is one of the dominant issues of our time, and one anonymous Senator can stop a piece of legislation that could have made a huge difference. Why am I not surprised.

From the Institute for Justice:

After failing to bring to a vote the reform that would have de-funded eminent domain abuse at the federal level, S. 3873 was “hotlined” last Tuesday [Dec. 5, 2006] in an attempt to pass the legislation before the 109^th Congress adjourned last week.  (Hotlining is an expedited process that allows congressional leadership to present a bill to the entire chamber for unanimous approval.)  However, at least one unknown senator placed an anonymous “hold” on S. 3873, effectively killing the legislation.  Eminent domain reform legislation was stalled both in the Senate Judiciary Committee and on the Senate floor.

Dana Berliner, a senior attorney with the Institute for Justice, which represented Susette Kelo in her fight against eminent domain abuse and is leading the nationwide effort for eminent domain reform, said, “Historically, the federal government has provided the money to throw hard-working people out of their homes and businesses to make way for private development projects.  The Senate had the opportunity to end this abuse, and they blew it.”  Under the federal Housing Act of 1949, cities were authorized to use eminent domain to clear “blighted neighborhoods,” and in the process displaced one million people, two-thirds of them African-American.    

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