Local governments should be guided by a strong respect for individual property rights when they choose to exercise their power of eminent domain.It is a limited power that should be used as a last resort and only when local infrastructure absolutely requires it action?
The Supreme Court ruling that local governments may use their power of eminent domain merely to increase their tax base, rendering the private property protections of the Fifth Amendment meaningless.
This is why I voted for H.Res. 340, to express the House of Representatives' strong disapproval of the Court's decision.I also voted for an amendment to a federal spending bill, which passed by a vote of 231-189. This bill would prevent federal funds from being used in projects that use eminent domain for economic development.Private property rights of individual citizens must come first.
