Senator Burns, Representative Hobbins, and members of the Judiciary Committee. My name is Pete Didisheim. I am the Advocacy Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine, and I appreciate the opportunity to testify in opposition to LD 162 and LD 309. For many of us here today, consideration of these bills is déjà vu Read More
takings bill
Takings Bill Takes Bad Turn
George Smith George.Smith.Maine.com blog post Unless proponents of the takings bill step up to support changes in their proposal, the issue is likely to die in the Maine Senate. Here’s the situation. Two versions of the bill emerged from the Judiciary Committee. The majority report limits action to a mediation process and legislative scrutiny, for Read More
Maine Lawmaker Looking to Revive Stalled ‘Takings’ Proposal
Senate Republicans seek a compromise on a bill allowing landowners to sue if new regulations lower the value of their property. By Susan M. Cover, State House Bureau Maine Sunday Telegram news story AUGUSTA – A Republican lawmaker from Hampden hopes the Legislature’s current recess will breathe new life into a bill to allow landowners Read More
New Version of ‘Takings’ Bill Would Cut Loopholes
Bangor Daily News editorial Two of the more controversial bills the Legislature has considered this session may have previously unseen ties. That in itself is not sinister, but as is the case with any sweeping change in legislative philosophy, unintended â or perhaps intended â consequences will quickly multiply. The first is the so-called takings Read More
Bad Solution to Imaginary Land Problem
Sun Journal editorial Here’s the way the story goes: A couple buys a beautiful piece of rural real estate in hopes of eventually fulfilling a dream— to have their children build nearby homes. Ten years later, the children are grown and ready to build their homes, but the rules have changed. What they thought was Read More
Why the Rush? Last-minute Bills Undermine Democracy
There are bills that have been introduced in this “emergency” second year of the legislative session that are truly alarming for those of us who care about Maine’s environment. We knew when the session started in January that some of them were coming. We knew that we faced the “takings” bill that would require taxpayers Read More
Takings Bill Amendment Offers a Bipartisan Compromise
by George Smith Kennebec Journal column Recognizing that the government should not be able to take most of the value of private property without compensating the owner, the Legislature has been wrestling with L.D. 1810, Rep. Andre Cushing’s “takings” bill. Lest you think the Legislature is a pit of ugly partisanship, take this as a Read More
Takings Bill Would Turn Landowner’s Rights on Its Head
An owner would be compensated for not harming his own property in a way that hurts neighbors. by A. Myrick Freeman, III Portland Press Herald op-ed In a March 1 Maine Voices Column (“Bill would offer recourse when ‘regulatory takings’s hurt landowners”), Rep. Andre Cushing makes several useful points about the “regulatory takings” bill (L.D. Read More
Compromise Emerges on Takings Bill
by George Smith Downeast.com column One of the most contentious and complicated bills of this legislative session resulted into a worthy compromise endorsed by the Judiciary Committee on March 8. Recognizing that the government should not be able to take most of the value of private property without compensating the owner, the legislature has been Read More
