May 2016 – InfoHive – Eminent Domain

TREND. Mock Eminent Domain Surveys.

Who: People’s Department of Environmental Justice, a group of private property rights protestors in Vermont

What: Staged a mock eminent domain survey at the private residence of a Vermont Public Service Commissioner

Vermont’s NPR News Source | ‘Mock Eminent Domain Proceeding’ Staged At Public Service Commissioner’s Home

Private Property Rights. Drones Overhead. 3 Arguments For Allowing Drones on Private Property.

Curtailing drone use kills innovation
Existing legal recourse for the privacy violations touted by drone legislation supporters
Keep off my lawn is not governing when the future of our delivery infrastructure is at stake

The Wall Street Journal | Should You Be Allowed to Prevent Drones From Flying Over Your Property?

INTERIM. Private Property Rights. 3 Trends Changing the Definition of Special District.

New IRS regulations
- will make it harder for special districts to borrow money tax-free
- IRS says special districts are benefitting by a tax rgulations meant for cities, not for special districts
Special District Growth
- 39,000 special districts in the U.S.
- spending more revenue than all cities in the U.S. combined
Changing the defintion of local government
- IRS standard is any 1 of these 3 makes an entity a municipality:
  - Does it have the power of taxation?
  - Does it…

The Texas Congressman. Eminent Domain. High Speed Rail.

Which Texas Congressman wrote to the Surface Transportation Board about opposing high speed rail in Texas? Congressman Brady

What is Congressman Brady’s opposition to high speed rail in Texas?

Congressman Brady opposes accelerated use of eminent domain or construction
Congressman Brady says the route is wrong
Congressman Brady opposes financial loans for high speed rail from the federal government

What is Congressman Brady’s opposition to the high speed rail route?

The route…

Private Property Rights. Deer Disease. 4 Key Points from TPWD delayed vote.

When will be the next vote by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Commissioners on deer disease reforms? 30 day delay from Thursday, May 26, 2016 TPWD decision to delay the vote

What 2 things did the TPWD proposed rules do?

New testing of deer for disease
Radio chipping deer

Who supports the TPWD proposed rule? Property rights advocates. Why? The rules could contain the spread of disease from breeders to herds on private land

Who opposes TPWD proposed rules? Deer…

Apple meets Rapid Transit and Eminent Domain. The Big Dog is Apple. Eminent Domain Role Reversal.

What transportation project may impact Apple facilities? Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) wants to connect San Francisco to San Jose by adding BART down the penninsula.

An Apple facility is part of the plan? Yes, an Apple facility is planend to be used for construction and may be a transit hub.

How is eminent domain playing? Officials are concerned that eminent domain will be expensive as Apple has spent millions on upgrades to the facility

Business Insider | A secret Apple warehouse is…

Be Aware. New Texas Lawyers Bone up on Eminent Domain. 3 Points of Intel to Know Now.

This year Texas law schools began offering classes specifically focused on eminent domain.

UT’s class will look at the “tension between the public’s need to accommodate growth and private property rights.” u of H will follow this fall with a similar course.

UT’s class is believed to be the only class in the nation focused on private proeprty rights & eminent domain.

UPDATE from High Speed Rail. Feds to Answer whether High Speed Rail must follow Texas Eminent Domain Laws?

Update: High Speed Rail replies to Ennis County:

Texas Central” does not seek to remove protections afforded to landowners under Texas law”
Texas Central Surface transportation Request … “does not change or override any state landowner protections.”

Ennis Daily News | HSR rebuffs claims

May 8, 2016, Informed Intel:

The Ellis County Press published an Op-Ed from Texans Against High Speed Rail.

What points does Texans Against High Speed Rail make in its Op-Ed?