Orrin Hatch: “the people of Utah, and indeed, of all of our States, have felt the heavy hand of the government erode their right to…”

“the people of Utah, and indeed, of all of our States, have felt the heavy hand of the government erode their right to hold and enjoy private property. I have authored and cosponsored many bills in the past that would protect private property from the jaws of the regulatory state. Our opponents on the left and the radical, so-called environmental groups, however, have been successful so-far in derailing the consideration of more needed reform measures. But I believe we have the opportunity to pass a narrower yet meaningful piece of legislation. The substitute we are considering today, S. 2271, the ``Property Rights Implementation Act,'' narrows H.R. 1534, which passed the House of Representatives on October 23, 1997, by a 248 to 178 vote. After the House passed bill was referred to the Judiciary Committee, we met with local, environmental, and governmental groups in an effort to meet their concerns. The product of those meetings is the S. 2271 substitute. Mr. President, I hope the Senate will allow us to proceed to consideration of this bill. How can we work to further improve this bill if your colleagues will not let us proceed to vote. This is a worthwhile bill that resolves many problems. I call on my colleagues to vote for cloture so that we may address those problems on the merits. The purpose of S. 2271, is, at its root, primarily one of fostering fundamental fairness and simple justice for the many millions of Americans who possess or own property.”