HF2664 allows property owners facing eminent domain proceedings related to an application before the Iowa Utilities Board to petition their state district court for a declaratory review before the Board makes a final decision. The court can declare the parties’ rights and other legal matters related to the constitutional and statutory aspects of eminent domain.
The Iowa State House of Representatives passed HF2664 on March 28, 2024 by a vote of 86 to 7. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because eminent domain for private corporations violates the U.S. Constitution, specifically the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. The Fifth Amendment explicitly states, “nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” Furthermore, the Fourteenth Amendment declares, “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”