Pols Seek to Tighten Eminent Domain Rules
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Reaction continues to reverberate on Capitol Hill in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling that local governments may take private property for private economic development that could benefit the community as a whole. Lawmakers are considering a new legislative effort to curb some of the effects of that decision. Click in the box to the right to watch a report by FOX News’ Megyn Kendall. In a ruling handed down last week, the high court decided that Susette Kelo’s (search) home could be seized by the state of Connecticut under the 5th Amendment’s “takings clause,” which allows the government to seize any private property if it’s for “public use” and the landowner receives “fair compensation.” Historically, the government has used that power, commonly referred to as “eminent domain,” to acquire land for things like railroads, highways and public hospitals. But the city of New London wants Kelo’s home and a handful of others for a riverfront shopping center and condominiums. Similar projects are happening in other places, too. The city of St. Louis, Mo., is trying to force 79-year-old Reba Thompson (search) out of her family home to make way for a $40 million shopping center. More : foxnews.com |