Collin Peterson: “Today we are considering property rights legislation, one of the most important pieces of legislation we will vote on…”

“Today we are considering property rights legislation, one of the most important pieces of legislation we will vote on this year. The right to own property is one of the basic doctrines of our Constitution. The fifth amendment requires the Government to provide just compensation for property taken for public purposes. Property rights has come to the forefront of debate in rural America. This debate is vital to every landowner in this country, specially to the American farmer. Over the past three decades, there has been an enormous expansion in Government regulation of private property. The intent of these regulations is for the most part positive. However, the rigidity of the regulations is completely unnecessary and over burdensome and often defeats the purpose of the objective of the regulation. The Federal Government makes it a practice to spell out step by step the method each person should use to accomplish the goal of a regulation. This rigidity is costly and actually creates more obstacles. These regulation restrictions are out of control, specifically in regard to wetlands.”