Governor Mike Parson set to sign bill to protect property rights

SEDALIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Saturday is slated to sign a bill aimed at protecting property rights.

Parson is expected to sign the eminent-domain bill after meeting with cattle ranchers at the Missouri State Fairgrounds. The legislation deals with the seizure of private land for public projects. For example, taking bits of farmland to build highways, powerlines or public buildings.

Primarily Republican lawmakers in Missouri have been working for years to block the use of eminent domain for the Grain Belt Express, a large wind-energy power line cutting through Missouri. The high-voltage power line would carry wind energy from Kansas across Missouri and Illinois before hooking into a power grid in Indiana that serves eastern states.

Lawmakers this year pared-down the proposal to exempt the Grain Belt Express and only apply to projects moving forward. The measure requires farm owners to be paid at least 150% of market value if their properties are taken through eminent domain. It also requires energy companies that use eminent domain to provide a certain amount of electricity to Missouri consumers.