Yesterday, we posted an update on HB 652, a bill that would allow property owners to present certain evidence to juries in eminent domain just compensation cases. The bill, patroned by Delegate Ward Armstrong (D-10, Martinsville), will be up tomorrow for a key vote at a 4:00 hearing in the Senate Courts of Justice Civil Sub-committee.
We don’t know yet if the big government lobby will try to make a last stand to block or water down this important legislation in the Senate. Their attempt in the House failed. We and several allies are working hard to ensure the bill gets reported unamended. But, to give you a taste of what has happened in the past — and what may happen still — here is video of the hearing in the House Appropriations Sub-committee on Transportation. You will see a VDOT representative try to defend a speculative Fiscal Impact Statement designed to sink the bill because of alleged costs to the Commonwealth. Notice his nervousness. He knows the numbers don’t fly (as we explained here).
The sub-committee didn’t buy it either. It unanimously reported it to the full committee — which deals with all money bills and knows a red herring when it sees one — and which also reported it without a dissenting vote, thanks in large part to Chairman Lacey Putney (I-19, Bedford) who spoke some plain common sense during its final vetting. Then it passed the full House 98-1. But overwhelming numbers in one body has never stopped determined opposition from trying in the other chamber. Remember: Contacting committee members (see here) never hurts.
Constitutional property rights upheld in the House. Will the Senate follow tomorrow?
[...] what we do know: Big government forces continue to lobby against it and pressure senators (see video here). Their lobbyists have been in every committee room HB 652 has been heard in, waiting to ounce. In [...]
[...] What Do I Do At The Family Foundation During General Assembly Session? Here’s pretty a good (or at least fun) look at what we at The Family Foundation do during General Assembly session. It was produced by one of our interns this year, Drew Wingard, from Harrisonburg, so there’s a focus on the interns and pages — our youthful volunteer help. But it’s still insightful and quite enjoyable. Not the least of its attributes is that I make a couple of cameos. Unfortunately, I had a great line left on the cutting room floor thanks to the boss (not Drew, who left it in). Oh, well. But you can see the expanded version of a bill I worked on, here, that is briefly alluded to in a qu…. [...]