Welcome to the Future!
Where: San Francisco, CA
What: San Francisco is considering eminent domain to acquire PG&E local wires and taking over electricity service within the city
5 Reasons why the city wants to take over the utility service:
Bloomberg | San Francisco Tries to Rally Public to Buy Piece of PG&E
Where: Los Angeles
What: L.A. is considering using eminent domain to stop rent spikes
Why: To retain affordable housing in L.A.
Reason | L.A. Politicians Want To Seize Private Apartment Building to Prevent Rent Increases
Bonjour to eminent domain prohibitions for HyperLoop Projects
Where is this happening? Missouri
What does the legislation look like? HB 1963 (2020 | MO)
Is there a boot and suspender approach to the eminent domain ban? Yes, the bill expressly prohibits eminent domain and prohibits the use of public funds
St Louis Post Dispatch | Hyperloop gets boost in Missouri House after backers add eminent domain ban
The State: West Virginia
Why does West Virginia want to increase the competitive bidding process for rebuilding after a disaster?
Metro News | Legislature passes bill aimed at increasing competitive bids for post-disaster housing
Utah + Ohio = States that want to stop eminent domain for recreational purposes.
Ohio wants to stop unelected officials from using eminent domain for trails.
Utah’s HB 133 (2020 | UT) prohibits the use of eminent domain for trails that are not regionally significant.
What is a regionally significant trail? a trail that goes through multiple municipalities or counties
KSL | Lawmaker to counter use of eminent domain for trails, other recreation uses
Where: Missouri
Why: The line connects Kansas and Indiana by traveling through Missouri
Which states have passed truth in labeling laws for milk and meat? Arkansas and Mississippi
What happened to these laws? Overturned in courts as violating the first amendment
Capital News Service | Bill defining milk advances in Virginia legislature
Where: Virginia
What: A bill to define what constitutes milk
The legislation: HB 119 (2020 | VA)
How does the bill define milk? As coming from hoofed animals to exclude Oat “milk” and Rice “milk”
The opposition: Plant Based Foods Association
Virginia Capital News Service | Bill defining milk advances in Virginia legislature
Florida’s HB 659 (2020 | FL) would allow drone use to eradicate evasive species and help fight wild fires.
Who would be permitted to use the drones?
What evasive species is being targeted:
Where: Tokyo
What: A property developer is building homes without parking but with membership to a ride share program
The benefits to home buyers: reduced costs from eliminating parking space
Japanese Researchers say decreased auto ownership has led to less interest in golf.
Nikkei Review | New Tokyo homes ditch parking spaces but offer car sharing