SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Texas Gov. Rick Perry has signed a bill that asks voters to place limits on when the government can take land using its eminent domain authority.

In a ceremony in front of the Alamo on Monday, Perry said land ownership has been essential to Texans for a long time and that the proposed constitutional amendment provides stronger protection for property owners.

If approved by voters, the state constitution would be amended to prohibit government officials from taking property and giving it to a private developer in order to boost the tax base.

Government officials could still take blighted properties using eminent domain.

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