Sunday, November 06, 2005

Indiana state legislature looking at restraining eminent domain abuse

From AP:

A state lawmaker says a congressional vote to restrain local governments from seizing private property for commercial development likely will bolster Statehouse efforts to rein in similar practices in Indiana.

Republican state Representative David Wolkins of Winona Lake is sponsoring a state bill to ban property seizures for commercial use.
He says a Statehouse study committee will recommend that eminent domain be a "last resort" and limit its use to blighted areas.

Wolkins says the panel will also recommend increasing compensation to displaced property owners and paying a larger share of legal expenses.

Indiana Republican Congressman Mark Souder says the government shouldn't be able to take your property just because someone else could make more money with it.

Meanwhile, here in Illinois, Mark at Windypundit posted the second part of his photoblogging essay about eminent domain overreach. The first in the series was about the Sportif bike shop (which I've blogged about) on Chicago's Northwest Side.

Part two takes Mark to suburban Arlington Heights, where the city council there has its hungry eyes on the International Plaza, a strip mall there. Click here to see his work.

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