In its most far-reaching assault yet on federal regulations, the House passed a bill Friday that would allow property owners to seek billions of dollars for losses caused by re-stric-tions on environmentally sensitive land.
The property rights bill, which passed by a 277-148 vote, was hailed by supporters as long-awaited relief for landowners who have property devalued because of wetlands protection or rules sheltering endangered species.The bill will rein in "a bureaucracy out of control and running amok," declared Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif. "We want to restore the power of the people having to live under this."
The measure was the last of a string of anti-regulation bills passed this week by the House under the GOP's "Contract With America" banner.
The other bills include measures that would require the federal government to pay more attention to costs and compare risks against benefits when issuing regulations, especially those dealing with the environment, and make it easier - especially for small businesses - to challenge federal regulations.
It was unclear how the bills will fare in the Senate, where it is easier for a small group of lawmakers to block legislation. More modest property rights and risks assessment bills have been introduced in the Senate but have yet to be debated.
"We hope they will not weaken (the House-passed measures). This is a strong anti-regulation package," House Republican Whip Tom DeLay of Texas said at a news conference.
Environmentalists predicted that if the House bill survives in the Senate it could amount to destroying wetlands and endangered species protection laws because agencies would be reluctant to press enforcement, fearing compensation claims they could not afford to pay.
Called the "Private Property Protection Act," the House-passed measure would broaden substantially the definition courts traditionally have given to a "regulatory taking" of property.