Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2005

PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS PROTECTION ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - November 03, 2005)

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Mrs. SCHMIDT. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4128, of which I am a cosponsor, legislation to protect private property of all Americans. As my fellow Ohioan William Howard Taft, the only person to serve as President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, said, ``Next to the right of liberty, the right of property is the most important individual right guaranteed by the Constitution.''

When the Supreme Court decided in Kelo that the State and local governments can require homeowners to vacate their property to make way for commercial development, it failed property owners' rights and our Constitution.

This legislation is important to me because of residents in Norwood, Ohio. In Norwood, Ohio, these residents are suing right now saying that it misused the power of eminent domain by declaring a neighborhood was blighted and turning the property over to a private company for the development of a shopping center. The Ohio Supreme Court is taking this matter. We hope there is a better resolution than the one in Kelo.

I want to commend Chairman Sensenbrenner and Chairman Goodlatte for their good work and their courageous effort in this most needed legislation.

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