“I would have preferred to vote for legislation to outright ban the taking of private property except for the greater public good, and only then after all other options are exhausted. However, this legislation is a lot better than the law we currently have on the books, and so takes us in the right direction,” said Senator Freedman.

The legislation passed Thursday by the Senate, SB 167, An Act Revising The Process For The Taking Of Real Property By Municipalities For Redevelopment And Economic Development, is now subject to further action by the House of Representatives.

Under the bill, municipalities would not be permitted to take private property by eminent domain for the primary purpose of private economic development, and requires that at least two-thirds of the municipality’s legislative body approve development takings. The bill includes other provisions intended to strengthen protections for homeowners.

“Connecticut’s property owners have been waiting for two years for the General Assembly to meaningfully respond the to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the New London eminent domain case. This bill may not be all that they had hoped for, but it does provide some additional, welcome, protections for property owners,” said Senator Freedman.