The Arizona Legislature joined dozens of other states in responding to last year’s disastrous Supreme Court decision that approved the use of eminent domain to take private property in order to give it to private developers. Janet Napolitano vetoed this bill on the same day she vetoed the immigration bill, hoping it would be ignored. Here is the statement we issued Tuesday:
A statement from Republican Candidate for Governor Len Munsil on Gov. Janet Napolitano‘s Veto of HB 2675 :
With today’s veto of eminent domain legislation, the governor rejected the protection of private property rights as a fundamental American freedom.
Private ownership of property is as fundamental to the American concept of liberty as the right to free speech or the right to bear arms. It is the very essence of the American Dream. It has never been easy for the government to take private property, nor should it ever be. Yet these cherished rights were diminished significantly with Gov. Napolitano’s veto.
The measure was adopted in response to the erosion of private property rights in the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kelo v. New London in June 2005. Seen as such a threat to private property rights, 43 of the 44 state legislatures that went into session this year addressed the issue. Bills have passed in 25 states to date, including Arizona. Legislation has been signed into law in 16 states, and another five states are awaiting action by the governor. Other states are putting the measure to a public vote in November.
The governor has an increasingly long list of vetoes which block efforts to address legitimate concerns of the Arizona people. Twice today the governor has vetoed essential legislation — one to protect property rights and another to stop illegal immigration. She also has a pattern of vetoing multiple bills on the same day to minimize negative publicity. It’s time for a change.