Va. Senate approves property rights constitutional amendment

This is what every state should do.Companies have absolutely no business using eminent domain period. I do think public use should be defined as only be for roads and highways.


Va. Senate approves property rights constitutional amendment - Washington Times
RICHMOND — The General Assembly on Monday signed off on a major priority of Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, approving a constitutional amendment stipulating that private property can only be taken for public use.
“It has been seven long years of effort, but with today’s vote our citizens are one step closer to enshrining in the Constitution of Virginia the protections they deserve from overzealous governments and the developers who use them to take away Virginians’ homes, farms, and small businesses,” Mr. Cuccinelli said. “A property rights amendment to Virginia’s Constitution is the ultimate protection Virginians need, and voters will finally have a property rights amendment to vote on in the November ballot.”
Nicole Riley, Virginia state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, worked with a coalition of property rights groups in support of the measure.
“It’s one thing for government to take private property for longstanding and well-agreed public uses, but it’s just plain wrong for the government to take someone’s home, business or farm so someone else can develop the land,” she said.

I agree. The way eminent domain is now used... take land away from one person so another person can build something that will bring the city more revenue... is utterly evil. I was in public finance for a long time, and I saw first-hand the abuses of eminent domain. Among other things, I saw a farmer who had been supporting his family for decades literally forced off his land for a pittance so that a developer could build a string of big-box stores that would give the city a huge sales tax payoff, which could then go to raising the salaries of city personnel.

To me, eminent domain as currently used and the "confiscation" laws that allow police departments to confiscate and sell the property of someone who has been charged but not convicted of a crime are both complete abuses of power and the betryal of taxpayers.

I would hope that it's used as it would seem it's intended as opposed to how some will try and interpret it. It was argued in other cases that building a mall was public use as it provided jobs.

I would make it absolutely clear that no private enterprise, period.

1Perry said:

I would hope that it's used as it would seem it's intended as opposed to how some will try and interpret it. It was argued in other cases that building a mall was public use as it provided jobs.

I would make it absolutely clear that no private enterprise, period.

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Hopefully the voters in Virginia make sure that public use is specified.

jamesrage said:

This is what every state should do.Companies have absolutely no business using eminent domain period. I do think public use should be defined as only be for roads and highways.

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Of concern to me is Governor Perry's desire to build a super highway through Texas using eminent domain.

jamesrage said:

Hopefully the voters in Virginia make sure that public use is specified.

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I would be curious to see if low cost public housing for those who live below the poverty level would pass muster as approved public use.

Will need to research it more to be sure, but this likely gets my vote in November.

From all the articles popping up in the Breaking News column...looks like the VA Assembly has been busy.

winston53660 said:

Of concern to me is Governor Perry's desire to build a super highway through Texas using eminent domain.

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That right there is exactly the purpose of eminent domain. You're talking public use infrastructure project.