HARRISBURG – Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) introduced legislation to ensure fair compensation when preserved farmland is acquired through eminent domain, protecting both taxpayer dollars and the integrity of Pennsylvania’s nationally recognized farmland preservation program.
“Our farmland preservation program relies on trust,” Phillips-Hill said. “Farmers voluntarily preserve their land in partnership with the commonwealth because they believe it will remain agricultural. If preserved farmland can be taken for a fraction of its value, we undermine the integrity of the program and the public’s investment in it.”
Pennsylvania taxpayers invested hundreds of millions of public dollars to preserve agricultural land, protecting more than 6,600 farms encompassing more than 650,000 acres from development since the program began in 1988, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Phillips-Hill argues that current law does not require entities exercising eminent domain to compensate for the full preserved value of that land, only its underlying agricultural value, leaving taxpayers under-reimbursed and weakening the preservation commitment made by participating farm families.
Senate Bill 1098 will require that when preserved farmland is condemned for non-agricultural use, compensation must reflect both the fair market value of the land and the taxpayer dollars invested to permanently preserve it. This ensures the public is made whole and the preservation program remains viable for future generations.
Phillips-Hill noted that while infrastructure and public projects are at times necessary, they should not come at the expense of responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources.
“This legislation is fiscally responsible and farmer-respecting,” Phillips-Hill said. “It protects our agricultural heritage, ensures taxpayers receive the full value of their investment, and preserves the credibility of a program that is vital to Pennsylvania’s food security and rural economy. Without this protection, farmers who do the noble thing of placing their family farms into the preservation program inadvertently put a target on their backs for eminent domain.”
As part of her podcast Kristin’s Corner, Phillips-Hill sat down with Senate State Government Committee Chair, Sen. Cris Dush (R-25), to discuss the legislation and ways to protect preserved farmland in Pennsylvania. The senator’s podcast can be found on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.