LINCOLN- Last Friday, members of the Government, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee of the Nebraska Legislature dove into the concept of eminent domain, and explored ways state law could be more fair or transparent. The hearing concerned Sen. John Cavanaugh's LR247, which was created, according to the senator, after he saw a number of private entities utilize eminent domain.

However, Cavanaugh said that he didn't have a specific outcome in mind in holding the hearing, and was instead looking for more transparency in the process. "This is a broad project, and different entities have different types of domain and different responsibilities," Cavanaugh told the committee, "There's still a lot of work to be done and a lot to learn."

Cavanaugh previously introduced LB133, which would require public or private entities with eminent domain authority to be subject to the Open Meetings Act. Multiple organizations testified at the bill's February hearing, and argued that such a change could become onerous if the recorded meetings are not set up for them or if staff are spread nationwide.

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