Indiana Senate Passes Eminent Domain Compensation Bill
Although the Indiana Senate has now passed a bill that would directly help an individual’s fight against a university expansion, the proposed law must still be approved by the House and Governor.
Frequently, bills easily traverse one chamber of the legislature, only to face a myriad of problems in the second. This is the same type of issue that may occur in Virginia, as its legislature prepares to tackle eminent domain reform during the upcoming legislative session.
The Senate voted 34-13 on the bill filed by Sen. Doug Eckerty, R-Yorktown, that would benefit his Good Government friend ChrisHiatt who could lose his campus Hiatt Printing business to Ball State University. Sen. Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, voted against the bill that had been opposed by Ball State, Indiana University, Purdue University and others.
Eckerty said the change would rectify present eminent domain law, which does not require universities to consider loss of future income when providing compensation to business owners. Universities now pay the fair market value of the building and property.
