JUDICIARY COMMITTEE PASSES REP. WATERS’ LEGISLATION TO PROTECT PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS FROM EMINENT DOMAIN ABUSE

Washington, DC – January 25, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee approved H.R. 1433, “The Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2011.” Introduced by Congressman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), the legislation is intended to protect private property owners and communities from eminent domain abuse, and restore property rights that the Supreme Court changed in the controversial case, Kelo v. City of New London. In Kelo, the Court upheld the ability of the State and Federal government to transfer privately-owned property against the wishes of the owner to a large corporation, declaring that the resulting economic development would produce benefits to the community