Chuck McGrady (R-Hendersonville) has sponsored state legislation (House Bill 3) that would better protect property owners against Kelo-like decisions. Previous attempts have not been successful.
“Aside from providing a higher bar for use of governments’ power to condemn property, the proposed constitutional amendment corrects two other omissions in the NC Constitution,” he added. “Among state constitutions, only North Carolina does not expressly state that a government must pay for the private property it takes. North Carolina also does not have a constitutional provision which guarantees for jury trials in condemnation cases. These omissions will be corrected if the bill passes and the amendment is ultimately approved by the state’s voters.”
