This week we took action on two major pieces of legislation – combating illegal immigration and fighting against eminent domain abuse.
Eminent Domain – As a reminder I have floor-managed or had a major role in every eminent domain bill that has either become law or passed the Iowa House in the last decade. We started nine years ago with a private lake down in Clarke County attempting to condemn dozens of family farms exclusively to line developers’ pockets. I managed legislation to stop that.
After that there was the Rock Island Clean Line. It took me four long years, but we finally were able to successfully stop that project from happening. Fast forward to current times and for two years I have been trying to pass legislation fighting the carbon capture pipeline. Each year I have got a bill out of the House only to die in the Senate!
This year we were up against a timeline so I ran the bill out of my Ways and Means committee – giving us an option for passage for rest of Session. I think the bill is excellent public policy for future projects regarding eminent domain. Right now, landowners have to wait for months and years for a determination of public good. A determination of public good by the IUB is the trigger for a company obtaining eminent domain. This expensive process is not fair and causes much stress.
My bill puts the determination of public good at the front end. It gives landowners the absolute right to get that determination on the FRONT end, saving years of heartache and legal fee expenditures. This will would change the future of eminent domain cases for the better and give landowners the rights they deserve.
I am fundamentally troubled by pipeline companies, clearly for profit and propped up by a federal tax credit scheme, having rights to force their way onto privately owned land. In eastern Iowa, the pipeline has NOT applied for eminent domain authority yet so the obvious recourse is NOT TO SELL.
Illegal Immigration – The federal government has failed to control our southern border. Illegal immigrants are pouring across the border at a record rate and innocent lives are being taken by fentanyl which is trafficked across an open southern border.
Immigration issues are largely a federal issue but since the problem has grown so large and out-of-control, many states are invoking their 10th Amendment rights and addressing it themselves. I am happy to report that Iowa has joined that list. SF 2340 would allow Iowa law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants who are in Iowa after previously being denied entry into the United States.
The bill also creates a new crime of illegal reentry into Iowa. This would apply to any undocumented immigrant who has previously been deported or denied admission into Iowa. In most cases this crime would be an aggravated misdemeanor, though it would rise to a felony in certain circumstances and the person must return to the country they came from.
I understand that there are many people who are in the country illegally who came here just to find a better life, but it is indisputable that there are also many gang members, drug dealers, and terrorists coming across our border endangering United States citizens. The bill passed the House with a bipartisan vote and awaits the Governor’s signature.
Contact Representative Kaufmann:
E-Mail: Bobby.Kaufmann@legis.iowa.gov
Phone: 563-260-3355
Mail: 1527 330th Street, Wilton IA 52778