Senate committee holds bill that would let owners seek return of unused eminent‑domain land after 25 years

A legislative committee held Bill 36‑0070 — a proposal that would let former owners petition to reclaim land taken by eminent domain if it is not used for its intended public purpose within 25 years — after a wide‑ranging hearing and a 7‑0 roll call. The motion to hold the bill in committee at the call of the chair passed by roll call vote.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Alma Francis Heiliger, would add a new section to Title 28 of the Virgin Islands Code to allow “the property owner, or the heirs and successors” to petition a court for return of land when the government has not put the parcel to the public use stated at acquisition. “If a property is taken by eminent domain for a specific purpose and it is 10 years, 20 years, 25 years had passed, and nothing has been done with that property, … the property owner, or the heirs and successors can go ahead and petition our courts for that property to be returned to them,” Senator Alma Francis Heiliger said during the hearing.

Why it matters: lawmakers and several executive agencies described the bill as an accountability measure that would protect private owners from long…