Texas Legislature Gets One Right

(Or so I hope!)

I have oft lamented the antics of the Texas legislature here.

However -- and I say this with a healthy dose of caution as details aren't clear yet -- they may be getting something right for once!

Private property owners would be protected from state and local governments seizing their land for economic development purposes under a bill overwhelmingly approved by the Texas House Sunday night.

The bill, drafted in response to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing eminent domain seizures for economic development projects, gained final passage 136-0.

...

The House version of the eminent domain bill was amended to stop the city of Freeport from seizing waterfront land [See Note below. --ed] from a family-owned shrimping company to make way for a private marina project.

The Senate has passed similar legislation, but differences must be worked out in a conference committee before midnight Wednesday when the special session ends.

But then, this is a no-brainer.

Isn't it?

Note: This seizure was reported by the Houston Chronicle on or before June 27, 2005, when the news was relayed via letter to the editor (author: Erich Veyhl) in TIA Daily (excerpted below):

The liberal majority on the Supreme Court which just permitted governments to seize private property and turn it over to developers in the name of the "public good" have unleashed another such travesty before the ink was dry on their decision -- this time in Texas as two waterfront seafood companies are being seized for the sake of a large scale private marina and hotel development project.

-- CAV