Once again, Texas legislators have filed bills aimed specifically at a single company–Texas Central–in an effort to stop the proposed high-speed railroad between Dallas and Houston. As an example, State Rep. Ben Leman has filed a bill that would require the line to be “compatible with more than one type of train technology.” These bills…
To build his beloved wall, President Trump has declared a national emergency, thereby allowing him to bypass Congress to fund construction of a barrier on the southern border of the country. But construction of the wall is bypassing more than Congressional approval. It is kicking property rights into the gutter. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant…
While eminent domain reform is a priority for many legislators and interest groups, meaningful reform is not likely to occur in this session. The reason isn’t a lack of political support; the reason is a moral premise held by those legislators and interest groups. As an example, Gordon Sauer, director, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers…
A growing number of Texas legislators and interest groups are making eminent domain reform a priority in this legislative session. Unfortunately, the policies that they are supporting are nothing more than window dressing and will do nothing to actually protect property rights. The bills introduced so far are aimed at creating more transparency, accountability, and…
The new mantra for the purported defenders of property rights in Texas is transparency, accountability, and fairness. A recent article by Gordon Sauer, director, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, serves as a example. Sauer writes: In virtually every other area of public policy, there is a mechanism for the public to speak out and…
Once again, Texas lawmakers will consider bills aimed at a single, specific company–Texas Central. Of course, the three bills introduced so far do not specifically mention Texas Central . The bills address high speed rail. But there is only one high speed rail line proposed in the state, and it has been proposed by Texas…
Democrats and “Progressives” are not known for their defense of property rights. Indeed, most of their proposals involve the violation of the right to property. Yet, many Texans on the political Left have recently invoked property rights in their opposition to Republicans. On the other hand, Republicans have cited property rights in their opposition to…
Texas legislators have introduced a pair of bills aimed at reforming the state’s eminent domain laws. According to Rep. DeWayne Burns, one of the sponsors of the House version of the reform, “HB 991 will ensure Texas property owners are respected partners in building our critical infrastructure while preserving our strong tradition of property rights.”…
President Trump has threatened to use the “military version” of eminent domain to seize the land required to build his border wall. Apparently, federal law allows for military department secretaries to “acquire any interest in land” if “the acquisition is needed in the interest of national defense.” More than 1,100 property owners in Texas are…
The process of exercising eminent domain is called condemnation. According to the Texas Property Code, If an entity with eminent domain authority wants to acquire real property for public use but is unable to agree with the owner of the property on the amount of damages, the entity may begin a condemnation proceeding by filing…
Once again, eminent domain has erupted into a political controversy in Texas. In its latest manifestation, Kinder Morgan proposes to build a 430-mile pipeline from West Texas to a suburb of Houston. As a “common carrier,” Kinder Morgan can use eminent domain to acquire access to the land needed to build the pipeline. Certainly, pipelines…
President Trump has argued that his proposed border wall is necessary to protect the nation’s security. Sadly, the wall presents a much graver risk to the security of Americans than the immigrants the wall will allegedly stop. The federal government has been using eminent domain to acquire the land needed to build the wall. The…