Congressman Walden wanted me to let you know that today he joined with colleagues from both sides of the aisle in support of House Resolution 340, which expresses the House of Representatives' "grave disapproval" of the Supreme Court's majority opinion on Kelo et al. vs. City of New London et al.  This Supreme Court decision nullifies protections given to Americans under the Fifth Amendment, which states "nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation." 

Earlier today, Greg stated that "Oregonians have repeatedly made clear their support for private property rights, most recently with the passage of Measure 37."  He went on to say, "the Supreme Court's decision diminishes our right to our own property and is a travesty.   The resolution that we're approving tonight goes the first step by saying we are not going to stand for this and now were going to move legislatively with a way to really restore private property rights in our country.  I think it's a bedrock principle that we shouldn't steer away from as the Supreme Court's decision would have us do."

Today Greg also became an original cosponsor of the "Private Property Rights Protection Act," a bipartisan piece of legislation introduced this evening by Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), which would restore the property rights the Supreme Court took away on June 23.  This legislation would prevent the federal government or any authority of the federal government from using economic development as a justification for exercising its power of eminent domain. 

As a life long Oregonian and small business owner in the state for over 18 years, Greg strongly believes that Congress should take action to change the law and fix the problem. 

Please don't hesitate to get in touch with me if you have question or if you would like additional information.

P.S. I encourage you to take a moment to visit Greg's website at http://walden.house.gov where you can send him an email, read about current legislative issues, fill out an online survey and also sign up for his weekly e-newsletter, the Oregon Congressional Connection.