AUSTIN, Texas – Governor Rick Perry signed into law Senate Bill 7, passed during the recent special session in response to the U.S. Supreme Court giving local governments broad powers to take land for economic development. But according to an analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, more work is needed to protect property rights.
“This bill is a good first step toward protecting Texans private property rights. However, to make sure that we replace the protections that the Supreme Court stripped away through Kelo, Texas needs to adopt a constitutional amendment ensuring that property is taken only for public use and not for economic development or private gain,” said Bill Peacock, the Foundation’s economic freedom policy analyst.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan research institute based in Austin.