Post by rid0617 on Mar 16, 2006 1:20:41 GMT -5
House OKs eminent domain bill
Legislation aims to protect owners from government taking their land
Published: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 6:57 pm
By Tim Smith
STAFF WRITER
tcsmith@greenvillenews.com
COLUMBIA — House lawmakers on Wednesday passed legislation aimed at protecting property owners from government seizure of their land.
The measures include a constitutional amendment that would ask voters to generally prohibit governments taking property and giving it to other private owners.
One of the bills would allow property owners to seek compensation by local governments if zoning action devalued their property. House members voted against including that feature in the constitutional amendment.
The legislation must pass a third reading before being sent to the Senate, where previous House-passed "takings" bills have died.
The legislation was spurred by last summer's U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a case in which a city took property and then gave it to a private developer.
Legislation aims to protect owners from government taking their land
Published: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 6:57 pm
By Tim Smith
STAFF WRITER
tcsmith@greenvillenews.com
COLUMBIA — House lawmakers on Wednesday passed legislation aimed at protecting property owners from government seizure of their land.
The measures include a constitutional amendment that would ask voters to generally prohibit governments taking property and giving it to other private owners.
One of the bills would allow property owners to seek compensation by local governments if zoning action devalued their property. House members voted against including that feature in the constitutional amendment.
The legislation must pass a third reading before being sent to the Senate, where previous House-passed "takings" bills have died.
The legislation was spurred by last summer's U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a case in which a city took property and then gave it to a private developer.
