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New Hampshire Bill to Opt State Out of Federal Asset Forfeiture Program in Trouble in State Senate CONCORD, N.H. (April 26, 2021)  A New Hampshire bill that would take a big step toward opting out of a federal asset forfeiture program sailed through the House, but has run into trouble in the Senate thanks to fierce law enforcement opposition. A coalition of seven Republicans filed House Bill 331 (HB331) on Jan 6. The legislation would prohibit any state or local law enforcement agency from offering property seized under state law to a federal agency for transfer or adoption unless the seized...

Ohio Leads the Way for Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform in 2017 Ohio Governor Kasich signed legislation that requires a criminal conviction before law enforcement can confiscate property. Tuesday, January 10, 2017 It’s a little over a week into 2017 and Ohio is already leading the way on civil asset forfeiture reform. On January 4th, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed legislation that would require a criminal conviction before civil asset forfeiture laws could be used by law enforcement to confiscate the property of regular Americans. This makes Ohio the 12th state to adopt this type of legisla...

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (March 17, 2021) – Yesterday, Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill into law that reforms the state’s asset forfeiture laws and opts the state out of the federal “equitable sharing” program. Sen. Todd Weiler (R) introduced Senate Bill 98 (SB98) on Jan. 19. The new law makes several positive changes to Utah’s asset forfeiture process and clarifies ambiguity in the current law. It also includes important provisions that will opt Utah out of a federal asset forfeiture program in most cases. This is particularly important in light of a  policy directive issued in July 201...

Select Page Alabama House Committee Passes Bill to End Civil Asset Forfeiture, Take Step to Opt Out of Federal Program MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Mar. 15, 2020) – Last week, an Alabama House committee passed a bill that would end civil asset forfeiture and start the process of withdrawing the state from a federal program that allows police to circumvent more strict state forfeiture laws by passing cases off to the feds. Rep. Andrew Sorrell (R-Muscle Shoals) filed House Bill 394 (HB394) on  Feb. 10. The legislation would effectively end civil asset forfeiture in Alabama and replace it with a cri...

The legislation would require a criminal conviction before the prosecutors could begin forfeiture proceedings in most cases. The bill also includes provisions that would increase protections for property owners involved in the forfeiture process, including requiring an arrest before property could be received and prompt return of property if no criminal case exists.