COVID. New Normal Include States Reducing Real Estate Holdings?

 Where? Tennessee

Who? Tennessee’s General Services Commissioner

His proposal to reduce costs by reducing real estate is supported by:

  • The cost of acquiring and maintaining property is a top 5 expense for Tennessee
  • Since 2017, Tennessee has employed Alternative Workplace Solutions

What are the benefits of alternative workplace solutions for state workers?

  • improved customer service
  • boosted worker productivity and job satisfaction
  • reduced its need for expensive office space
  • saving $5 million in annual real estate costs

Governing | How to Shrink Government’s Expensive Real Estate Footprint 

Landowners New Partnerships to Oppose Flood Control/Wildlife Project

Where: Roseau County, Minnesota

Who has partnered with landowners? Institute for Justice, a national nonprofit opposing the misuse of eminent domain

What does their opposition campaign look like? 2 50 foot trailers with their message

Remember, the Institute for Justices has local offices throughout the country.

Grand Forks Herald | Roseau County Landowners Coalition teams with national nonprofit to oppose local flood control, wildlife project

BLM + National Register of Historic Places

Has your local or state government looked into the number of historic designations of Black, indigenous, & POC? They will.

New York discovered that 17 of the 37,000+  sites given landmark status are dedicated to abolitionist or Underground Railroad history.

2% of the 95,000 entries on the National Register of Historic Places reflect the experience of Black Americans.

CityLab Daily | How to Preserve Buildings Tied to Black History

Tax Foreclosure Sales Amount to Takings

Where: Michigan

What: The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that if property sold at a tax foreclosure sale by a county is sold at a profit, the profit goes to the property owner from whom the property was taken

The estimated cost of reimbursement to Michiganers? $2 Billion

Detroit News | High court: Michigan counties cannot make profit on tax-foreclosed homes

Hair. Is Deeply Personal. Welcome to The Crown Act.

What is The Crown Act? ““Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” is a law that prohibits race-based hair discrimination, which is the denial of employment and educational opportunities because of hair texture or protective hairstyles including braids, locs, twists or bantu knots.”

Which industries are supporting the state legislation?

  • Dove
  • U. S. Black Chambers, Inc.
  • EARTHGIRL
  • Women in Public Policy, Inc.
  • Ujima, Inc.
  • California Black Chamber of Commerce
  • + more

8 States have passed the Crown Act.

9 States are actively considering the legislation.

20+ states have neither considered it nor passed the legislation.

When Campaign Reporting + Eminent Domain Collide

Say your political campaign needs a loan. Say that loan comes from an account funded with proceeds from compensation from a taking by eminent domain.

What disclosures are needed when the funds that a campaign are borrowing come from tax dollar funded eminent domain compensation?

Will this issue get more coverage? Do I need to pay attention? Yes, because its occurring in the race to replace Florida’s Congressman Yoho. You may have seen his name in more headlines this week.

Florida Politics | Judson Sapp amends financial disclosures to show source of campaign loans

Legal TREND. Ask for Permission not Forgiveness when condemning property.

Where: Lousiana’s Third Circuit Court of Appeal

What? Big companies shouldn’t be asking for forgiveness instead of permission when they take land

The surprise by the court: That the court said the company “trampled” the rights of the landowner

KPLC | Third Circuit says Bayou Bridge Pipeline trampled on landowners’ rights