Orrin Hatch: “I am pleased today to once again introduce the Omnibus Property Rights Act. Many Members of the Senate have as a…”

“I am pleased today to once again introduce the Omnibus Property Rights Act. Many Members of the Senate have as a paramount concern the protection of individual rights protected by our Constitution. One particular right--the right to own and use private property free from arbitrary governmental action--is increasingly under attack from the regulatory state. Indeed, despite the constitutional requirement for the protection of property rights, the America of the late 20th century has witnessed an explosion of Federal regulation that has jeopardized the private ownership of property with the consequent loss of individual liberty. Under current Federal regulations, thousands of Americans have been denied the right to the quiet use and enjoyment of their private property. Arbitrary bureaucratic enforcement of Federal and State regulatory programs has prevented Americans from building homes and commercial buildings, plowing fields, repairing barns and fences, clearing brush and fire hazards, felling trees, and even removing refuse and pollutants, all on private property. Fairness and simple justice demand that Americans owning property be entitled to the full use of their property. Ensuring compensation for regulatory takings is the first step toward restoring the fundamental right to own and use private property guaranteed by the takings clause of the fifth amendment to our Constitution.”