Rally to Oppose Texas City Taking Auto Shop Property Because Auto Shops Are Not Hip

Where’s this rally taking place? Dallas

Why a rally? An immigrant owned auto shop doesn’t fit a retroactively imposed zoning restriction 

So, what’s the Dallas plan for this part of town? Turn Ross Avenue into a gateway to the city’s art community

Surely the auto shop is being compensated for the retroactive land use limitations that will close his business? No, the auto shop position is that no compensation is being offered in the city’s amoritization process.

Institute for Justice | Rally to stop unconstitutional land grab in Dallas

 

3 Reasons Land Owner Complaints on Eminent Domain Are Getting Old. Dallas Morning News.

In an editorial laying out why the Dallas Morning News opposes the Brazos Valley Council opposition to high-speed rail, there’s quite a statement about eminent domain.

From the editorial: ” But the eminent domain scare tactic is getting old.”

Why is the “eminent domain scare tactic getting old?”

  • eminent domain is a quagmire for both sides
  • because condemning entities want to settle, that could strengthen land owner negotiations over price
  • landowners will still get to use their property

Dallas Morning News | Editorial | High-speed rail opponents are shortsighted

 

Lege Trend: No Eminent Domain for Transmission Lines

What state is proposing an eminent domain ban for transmission lines? Missouri

Is this all transmission lines or just privately owned transmission lines?  The ban includes privately funded, long distance, Direct Current transmission lines.

Why this legislative response? 

  • Missouri Publiuc Service Commission denied eminent domain to a private transmission line that would traverse Missouri but not provide electic service in Missouri.
  • The power line project was opposed by land owners, farmers, and 8 of the counties the that would have been home to the power line project. 

Missouri HB 2418

Missouri SB 1107

The Caldwell County News | Eminent Domain Reform Bill Proposed In Missouri

INTERIM. Sharing Economy. Red State Moves to Prevent Cities from Banning Short Term Rentals.

What’s going on & where? The Arizona Senate passed a bill to keep cities from shutting down short term rentals.

What would the bill do?

  • Allow city regulations to be only “narrowly tailored”
  • Limit regulations to fire and building codes, public health & sanitation
  • Require the webhosts to collect taxes

Institute for Justice | Arizona Senate Votes to Ban Cities from Banning Airbnb, Couch-Surfing

Arizona SB 1350

INTERIM. Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Passed a Legislature. The Informed Intel You Need: 5 Talking Points + Bill Text

  • Limit asset seizure to instances when a person is arrested
  • Pro-consumer
  • Pro-private property rights
  • Necessary safeguards in place to protect innocent property owners
  • Require probable cause be shown within 10 days following every seizure

Capital Soup | Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Passes Legislature Unanimously

Florida SB 1044

What Witnesses Said to Committee Supporting Eminent Domain Moratorium that Passed.

As loyal subscribers know, 2 state legislatures enacted moratoriums on eminent domain, specifially eminent domain used by private entities, like pipelines. 

Let’s dig into what supporting testimony for these moratoriums looked like:

  • No eminent domain for private gain “it is morally wrong for a for-profit company to make money off of my hard labor for its investors” -a 270 acre property owner
  • Eminent Domain Created Unfair Competition some state oil and gas companies said, we’ve never used eminent domain, and now this outside company wants to use eminent domain and compete against us
    • We’ve earned our business the old-fashioned way. If we needed property, we bought it,”- a local oil and gas company

The best offense, is a good defense.

Florida Times Union | Witnesses tell House subcommittee they favor moratorium on petroleum pipelines in Georgia

Eminent Domain. Police Station. Blight. 3 Reasons Property Owners Opposed Eminent Domain.

Kansas City needed a new police station & crime lab in a historically black neighborhood. 

 

3 Reasons why property owners opposed eminent domain for an otherwise nobel purpose:

  • The residents were restoring their historic homes & felt blindsided
  • Eminent domain is a scary process for property owners
  • Previous eminent domain projects had promised economic prosperity for the area & that never came to fruition

 

Know your opposition, like you know yourself.

The Atlantic | Photographing the Heartbreaking Consequences of Eminent Domain

4 Points from CPAC Eminent Domain Poll. 91% say Eminent Domain is a No-No with few exceptions.

What does the right think about eminent domain?

  • 75% say eminent domain should be NARROWLY used
  • 16% say eminent domain should NEVER be used
  • Of the 75%, they say eminent domain should be limited to only public use projects like schools, dams, highways and police stations
  • 36% say its a total dealbreaker for a candidate to support eminent domain that transfers private property to a private entity

Conservative.org | CPAC Straw Poll 

Center for Immigration Studies | CPAC Straw Poll: 52% Believe Illegal Aliens Should Return Home

INTERIM. Sharing Economy. Private Property Rights Meets Sales Tax.

This week Louisiana passed a sales tax expansion to apply a 4% sales tax on short term rentals.

What you need to know about the short term rental sales tax:

  • Louisiana could not estimate how much the tax would generate because:
    • The number of short term rentals is unknown
    • The revenue generated from short term rentals is also unknown
  • The sales tax passed because of a historic $900 M shortfall
  • How did they do it? Expanded the definition of hotel/motel

NOLA.com | Times Picayune | Legislature passes new Airbnb sales tax; bill heads to governor