Category Archives: 2019 legislative issue

Anatomy of a Annexation & Tax Initiative. Vote Thresholds.

Where: California’s Initiative – Tax Fairness, Transparency and Accountability Act of 2018- is gathering signatures for November 2018 ballot

What would the Tax Fairness, Transparency and Accountability Act of 2018 require for annexation?  Require residents in the land to be annexed to vote

 

What would the Tax Fairness, Transparency and Accountability Act of 2018 require for a tax on the newly annexed property?  Require a 2/3 vote approval for taxation of the newly annexed land

The Signal…

Campaign TREND. Regulatory TREND. High Speed Rail + Amtrak = Eminent Domain?

Background: 

  • 2016 Surface Transportation Board did not authorize eminent domain for Texas Central Rail proposed high speed rail between Dallas and Houston
  • A 2018 partnership with Amtrak triggered a request for reconsideration of the 2016 eminent domain issue

Campaign TREND.

  • HD 8 primary run-off candidate Cody Harris says the following about eminent domain use and high speed rail:
    • “dishonest and deceitful scheme by Texas Central”
    • “attack on rural property rights”
    • ” transparent assault on…

The Model Code Property Rights Supporters Say Support State Preemption of Local Short Term Rentals

To support state action for short term rentals, supporters are touting: Arizona’s Private Property Rights Protection Act

Why is Arizona’s Private Property Rights Protection Act so important?  It allows land owners to be reminursed when regulations decreate their proeprty values, which with certain common-sense exceptions

The Hill |  Grassroot Institute of Hawaii | Property rights include the right to rent it out — even if others don’t like it

Lege TREND. Preempting Local Short Term Rentals in the hawthorn Blossom State

State:  Missouri

The Missouri short term rental local ordinance premption bill: HB 2569 (MO | 2018) 

What would  HB 2569 (MO | 2018)  do?

  • prohibit municipalities from requiring a business license
  • prohibits home owner associations from blocking short term rentals
  • address how spaces are advertised for shirt term rentals to ensure a fee is collected

What do opponents say?

  • could impact the collection of the city’s tourism tax, because the bed tax (hotel/motel tax) is collected from a…

Property Rights TREND. Property Rights in Taxi Licenses. Local Trend begets Legal Trend Begets Lege Trend.

Local Trend: Local Ride Share Ordinances

Legal Trend: In San Francisco, Financial Institutions are suing over the loan value of the city’s $250,000 taxi medallions which local ride share ordinances diminished the value of the medallions

Lege Trend: Leveling the playing field so that ride share and taxis are regulated equally

ABC 7 San Francisco | Credit union suing San Francisco over ‘worthless’ taxi medallions

Legal Trend. Bluebonnet State Attorney General Intervenes in Local Short Term Rental lawsuit

Austin’s short term rental ordinance is being litigated. Texas Attorney General Paxton rational for getting involved in the lawsuit:

  • Austin’s ordinance is ” “a gift to the hotel industry or Austin residents who seek reduced home prices.”
  • He holds up Texans whose relatives housed troops during times of war to support a statewide histroy of short term rentals
  • “By taking away its citizens’ property right to lease their homes as they see fit, the city has violated their constitutional rights,

Tex…

Legal TREND. LNG Exports and Property Rights. 4 Key Points to Know Now for Legislation later.

What issue are legal property rights centers looking at?  is there a public good, for eminent domain purposes,  when the public that benefits from the exported good is Europe or China?

What does this have to do with eminent domain? Pipelines, such as those that feed a LNG Export Center, are often uilt with the use of the power of eminent domain.

To exercize eminent domain constitutionally there must be a public use/public purpose for the land

How are property rights legal exeperts looking to…

Activist TREND. Texas Conservative Online Eminent Domain Polling. 58% say No. No. No. More say Never for Private Entities.

online polling for eminent domain purports:

  • 58% oppose eminent domain use
  • 42% are yes and likely yes, but only if….

What qualifiers are offered for yes to eminent domain?

  • never for private projects
  • only for national emergencies
  • only if compensation is drastically above fair market place
  • fair compensation & a benefit for the community

isidewith | Eminent Domain Poll Results for Greg Abbott Voters 

Local Government TREND. +1 County Moves to Block High Speed Rail Eminent Domain

The County: Madison County Texas

The high speed rail project: Texas Central Partners’ Dallas to Houston High Speed Rail

What action did Madison County take to block any high speed rail eminent domain use in Texas?

  • county intends to maintain the roads for the use intended, and no other use

Madisonville Meteor | County takes stand on railway

Bill Drafting. Eminent Domain Compensation. 2 Standards to trigger Attorney Fees.

Attorney fee standards in eminent domain statutes are either:

  • reasonable attorney fees or costs
  • attorney fees and costs “actually incurred” *

* Courts may find “Actually incurred” means invoiced and not actually paid.

The Nebraska Supreme Court in Transcanada was analyzing a “actually incurred” standard when it determined there was insufficent supporting evidence concerning the attorney fees.

TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, LP v. Nicholas Family Ltd. P’ship, No. S-17-116 (Mar. 9, 2018) via Ne…