Senate committee clears bill limiting how long government may hold land taken by eminent domain

The Committee on Disaster Recovery, Infrastructure and Planning voted to forward bill 36‑0070 — an act to add section 4‑23 to Title 28, Virgin Islands Code (failure to use property acquired through eminent domain) — to the Committee on Rules and Judiciary after approving an amendment changing how previously acquired parcels are handled.

The bill, introduced by Senator Alma Francis Heiliger, would limit how long the government may keep property acquired by eminent domain if it does not put the property to the public use intended at the time of acquisition.

Lawmakers said the change is meant to protect families whose land was taken for public projects but then not used. Senator Alma Francis Heiliger said the bill responds to long delays she has heard about in the territory: “We cannot keep taking people’s properties, and there’s no ramifications to the government,” she said during her presentation. She also described a proposed definition of “initiate” to prevent last‑minute token work: “initiate means that at least 10% of the project has already been started and completed,” she told the committee during the hearing.

Why it matters: Supporters said the measure restores a remedy for owners whose…