Committee advances bill to bar certain state boards from condemning property

A legislative committee voted to give a favorable report, as amended, to a bill that would prevent certain state boards that were created under sunset review from acquiring property by condemnation.

The bill sponsor said the measure would not bar cities or other government entities from acquiring property for public use but would remove condemnation authority from some professional boards, which the sponsor described as an inappropriate use of power. The committee adopted an amendment setting an effective date of June 1, 2025, and approved the bill for further consideration by voice vote.

Sponsor and rationale

The bill sponsor (Representative, unnamed) said the bill targets an anomaly in state law that allows some sunsetted boards — such as, the sponsor cited, the board of pharmacy — to acquire property by condemnation. "I don't believe that professional boards should be able to condemn property," the sponsor said, arguing that condemnation is intended for public uses such as roads or economic-development…