HB37: Louisiana Property Rights Come First — No Foreign Entity Should Take Our Land
Louisiana citizens are waking up to an uncomfortable truth:
If you give the wrong entities access to expropriation (eminent domain), you don’t just invite “development” — you invite legal force, court pressure, and the ability to take land from families who refuse to sign.
House Bill 37, authored by Representative Chuck Owen, deserves strong public support.
This is not a flashy bill. It doesn’t rely on political talking points.
It simply draws a line that Louisiana should have drawn a long time ago:
Foreign entities should not be allowed to expropriate private property in Louisiana.
Click to read the full bill.
What This Bill Does (In Plain English)
This bill updates Louisiana law (R.S. 19:2) to prohibit expropriation by foreign entities in two key situations:
1) If they are not incorporated or registered to do business in the United States
This law makes clear that Louisiana’s expropriation authority does not apply to any foreign corporation or legal entity that is not incorporated or registered under U.S. laws.
2) If their country does not have a reciprocal expropriation agreement with the U.S.
This law also blocks expropriation authority for foreign entities whose country of primary ownership or incorporation does not offer reciprocal expropriation protections with the United States.
In other words:
If Americans do not receive fair and equal treatment under that country’s system, then companies tied to that country should not be able to use Louisiana law to take Louisiana land.
That’s not radical.
That’s common sense.
Why This Bill Matters Right Now
This bill is not happening in a vacuum.
Louisiana is facing one of the biggest land-rights showdowns in modern history — driven by massive infrastructure buildouts tied to:
- pipeline development
- industrial expansion
- carbon dioxide transport
- carbon dioxide injection and storage
Under current Louisiana law, expropriation powers extend to a wide range of entities — including those involved in carbon dioxide pipelines and underground storage.
And the public should understand what that means:
When expropriation is available, the negotiation is no longer equal.
It becomes:
Sign… or be taken to court.
This bill helps prevent Louisiana citizens from being placed in that situation by foreign-controlled entities.
This is About Property Rights — Not Politics
Supporting HB37 is not “anti-business.”
It’s not “anti-development.”
It’s not “left” or “right.”
It is simply pro-Louisiana.
A state that values private property cannot allow foreign entities to gain the legal power to force landowners into expropriation proceedings — especially when Louisiana residents are already fighting to understand what is happening beneath their feet:
- legacy oilfield impacts
- abandoned wells
- fault lines and geologic instability
- uncertainty around long-term monitoring
- regulatory and enforcement gaps
If an entity wants to build something in Louisiana, it should do what every honest project must do:
Negotiate Fairly
Pay Fairly
Respect the “NO.”
Not reach for expropriation as leverage.
HB37 Closes a Dangerous Door Before It’s Too Late
HB37 targets a simple but dangerous loophole:
Foreign entities may have the finances, lawyers, and corporate structure to push projects through — but Louisiana residents are the ones who live with the consequences.
HB37 places a reasonable limitation on who can use Louisiana’s expropriation laws.
Because once land is taken, the damage isn’t just financial.
It’s generational.
What This Bill Does Not Do
This is important because opponents will try to twist the bill.
This bill does not ban all foreign investment.
This bill does not block voluntary land sales or voluntary easements.
This bill does not stop infrastructure projects that follow lawful, fair standards.
HB37 only restricts something far more serious:
🚫 The power to take private property by force through expropriation.
The Bottom Line
This bill is the kind of legislation Louisiana residents should rally behind — because it establishes a principle that should never be negotiable:
Louisiana property rights belong to Louisianans, not to foreign entities with the legal authority to expropriate land.
If lawmakers want to prove they stand with citizens instead of corporate pressure, this is one of the clearest opportunities they’ve been given.
Support the bill.
Track it.
Show up when it moves through the committee.
Make legislators go on record.
Louisiana doesn’t have to surrender land rights in the name of “progress.”
Not anymore.
