House passes eminent domain restriction: KOB-TV4, Albuquerque NM, 2/25/07

By Associated Press
The [New Mexico] state House has voted to strip local governments of their authority to condemn private property for economic development purposes.

The bill was approved Saturday on a vote of 62-5. It now goes to the Senate.

The measure came in response to a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision in a Connecticut case that allowed a city to take private property as part of a redevelopment effort.

A governor’s task force had recommended the removal of condemnation power from the 1979 Metropolitan Redevelopment Act, which is used to rehabilitate blighted sections of communities.

The proposed change wouldn’t prevent local governments from condemning land for traditional public purposes such as roads or public buildings, or from dealing with structures that are public nuisances.

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KOB-TV4, Albuquerque NM: http://www.kobtv.com