Bill Would Limit Eminent Domain

by Timothy Sandefur

The East Valley (AZ) Tribune reports that the state Senate has approved a bill (HCR2002) which would limit authorities from condemning property they consider "blighted." Remember, Gov. Napolitano recently vetoed a bill that would have provided strong protections for private property rights in that state.) The new bill would also require the government to compensate property owners when it decreases the value of their property by passing regulations prohibiting them from using the land. In my new policy report, Playing the Takings Game, I explain how private property rights face severe threats in Arizona from just this kind of regulatory overreaching.