infrastructure building – InfoHive

Lege Trend. Texas Eminent Domain Bills. 5 Points from the Authors

Senate Bill 421 (TX | 2019) and House Bill 991 (TX | 2019) authored by Senator Kolkhorst and Representative Burns would, according to the authors:

penalize companies for intentionally low-balling landowners during negotiation
put landowners “on an even footing,
more transparent, fair and accountable eminent domain process.”
costs won’t climb because eminent domain cases will become less heated, so companies will be able to acquire land more quickly and spend less on legal fees.
the…

The 2 umbrella assocaitions in the bruhaha:

Texans for Property Rights “dedicated to protecting property rights”
- Texas Farm Bureau
- Texas Assoc. of Realtors
- Texas Wildlife Association
- Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Assoc.
- TWITTER (October 2016)
Coalition for Critical Infrastructure ” help maintain Texas’ positive business climate and quality of life by addressing our growing need for roads and highways; oil, natural gas and water pipelines; electric transmission and…

What project? A coastal barrier project that will be a 71-mile long system of gates and levees

Where? Along the Texas Gulf Coast

How does eminent domain come into play? Businesses and residences on Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island could be impacted

Who would exercise eminent domain? Texas General Land Office

What do I need to know about TX GLO, eminent domain and the coastal barrier?

California Legislature passed AB 987 (2018 | CA) that streamlines building a new stadium for the Clippers & construction by the Oakland A’s by:

requiring litigation to be resolved within 270 days of the filing of the certified record of proceedings

Michigan Legislature is considering HB4070 (2017-2018 | MI) which addresses land owner compensation in 3 ways:

Attorney Fees and Costs when a court determines a taking occurred
State Attorney General creates a list of governmental actions that results in a taking occurring
Can apply to rules, permits, applications and other governmental actions

California Legislature passed SB 1465 (2018 | CA) would require contractors:

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?

Davis: Eminent Domain should not used by private entities

Laningham: No eminent domain for the bullet train, which is not a public benefit

Raney: taking someone’s property should be a respectful negotiation that satisfies the landowner

Texeira: follow the law and properly compensate landowners, otherwise landwoners should get a good lawyer

California High Speed Rail, Phase 1, will face an audit after these 3 things happened:

Projected costs for phase 1 of California’s high speed rail have risen by $3 Billion
A bipartisan group of legislators requested a formal audit
Concerns that the project will need state subsidies

Due to the projected cost increase, the audit will make the following recommendations:

Residents Against Invasion of Land by Eminent Domain formed to combat a $2.8 Billion freight rail plan. Here’s what you need to know:

The Surface Transportation Board rejected the rail plan, according to RAILED due to the projects lack of funding
What surprised RAILED the most: that a swath of residents didn’t care about the freight rail, didn’t think the rail would affect them, and had no idea of long term impact on safety