Jim Sensenbrenner: “I am pleased that the House of Representatives today is considering H.R. 1944, the Private Property Rights Protection…”

“I am pleased that the House of Representatives today is considering H.R. 1944, the Private Property Rights Protection Act, as part of Stop Government Abuse Week. My bill aims to restore the property rights of all Americans the Supreme Court took away 9 years ago. The Founders of our country recognized the importance of an individual's right to personal property when they drafted the Constitution. The Fifth Amendment states, ``nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.'' In Kelo v. the City of New London, in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court decided that economic development can be a public use under the Fifth Amendment's Takings Clause. The Court held that the government could take private property from an owner to help a corporation or a private developer. The now infamous Kelo decision was met with swift and strong opposition. As former Justice O'Connor stated, ``Government now has license to transfer property from those with fewer resources to those with more. The Founders cannot have intended this perverse result.'' In the nearly 9 years since Kelo, polls show that Americans overwhelmingly oppose property being taken and transferred to another private owner, even if it is for a public economic good.…”