Capito Stands Up for the Rights of Private Property Owners
Capito Stands Up for the Rights of Private Property Owners
11/4/2005
Calls Recent Supreme Court Ruling 'shocking threat'
WASHINGTON, DC - (11/4) - To discourage the bulldozing of private homes to build shopping malls that generate more tax revenue, Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) supported legislation yesterday that would halt the flow of federal economic development grant funding to states or local governments that utilize eminent domain to seize private property for the purposes of economic development.
"A recent Supreme Court ruling, Kelo v. the City of New London, creates new powers for cities and local governments to bulldoze private citizens' homes to make way for shopping malls or other development," noted Capito. "The Court's ruling essentially ensures that no citizen's property is safe. This is a shocking threat to the rights of property owners and must be stopped."
"I will not stand for homes being sold to the highest bidder potentially displacing neighborhoods for the sake of new tax revenue. To protect the rights of property owners in West Virginia I supported the legislation because it would stop the flow of federal economic development money to any state or city that uses the new eminent domain authority to take away someone's home."
Capito added, "The Supreme Court's ruling creates scenarios where you could be forced to sell your home because the local government wants to buy your land and sell it to another private owner that will generate greater tax revenue."
"The Supreme Court can have a tremendous impact on the lives of every American. Kelo v. the City of New London is a perfect example of why we need a justice on the court that knows how to apply the law not redesign the law."
The U.S. House of Representatives passed The Private Property Rights Protection Act by an overwhelming bi partisan margin of 376 to 38. Congresswoman Capito urges the U.S. Senate to act swiftly on the legislation.
http://capito.house.gov/press_office/detail-page.aspx?id=110&whichone=pr