Policing for Profit

New York Senate Committee Passes Bill to End Civil Asset Forfeiture and Opt State Out of Federal Forfeiture Program

a New York Senate committee passed a bill that would end civil asset forfeiture in the state and replace it with a criminal process. Passage of the bill would also opt the state out of a program that allows police to circumvent more strict state forfeiture laws by passing cases off to the feds.

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Texas House Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Bill to End Civil Asset Forfeiture and Opt State Out of Federal Program

The legislation would replace the state’s civil asset forfeiture process with a criminal process requiring a criminal conviction before prosecutors could proceed with asset forfeiture in most cases.

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Nevada Bill Would Require Criminal Conviction Before Asset Forfeiture and Take a Step to Opt Out of Federal Program

SB337 would also take a step toward opting Nevada out of a federal program that allows state and local police to get around more strict state asset forfeiture laws.

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Texas Bill Would End Civil Asset Forfeiture and Opt State Out of Federal Program

The legislation would replace the state’s civil asset forfeiture process with a criminal process requiring a criminal conviction before prosecutors could proceed with asset forfeiture in most cases.

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Colorado Committee Holds Hearing on Bill to End Civil Asset Forfeiture and Further Opt State Out of Federal Program

a Colorado House committee held a hearing on a bill that would end civil asset forfeiture in the state and replace it with a criminal process. The enactment of this legislation would also further opt the state out of a program that allows police to circumvent more strict state forfeiture laws by passing cases off to the feds.

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Hawaii House Committee Passes Bill to Reform State Asset Forfeiture Process, Opt State Out of Federal Program

The legislation would restrict asset forfeiture to felony cases and would require a criminal conviction before prosecutors could proceed with the process in most cases.

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Texas Bill Would Reform State Asset Forfeiture Process and Take Step to Opt Out of Federal Program

The legislation would make it more difficult for the state to seize assets by raising the burden of proof prosecutors must meet from  “a preponderance of the evidence” to “clear and convincing evidence.” While the state could still seize assets without a conviction, the passage of HB1714 would take a first step toward reforming a Texas asset forfeiture process that the Institute of Justice called “terrible.”

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Oklahoma Bill Would End Civil Asset Forfeiture in the State but Federal Loophole Would Remain

The legislation would simply repeal the entire Oklahoma civil asset forfeiture process.

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New York Senate Bill Would End Civil Asset Forfeiture and Opt State Out of Federal Forfeiture Program

A bill introduced in the New York Senate would end civil asset forfeiture in the state and replace it with a criminal process. Passage of the bill would also opt the state out of a program that allows police to circumvent more strict state forfeiture laws by passing cases off to the feds.

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Colorado Bill Would End Civil Asset Forfeiture and Further Opt State Out of Federal Program

HB1086 builds on previous forfeiture reforms. In 2017, Colorado imposed strict reporting requirements on asset forfeiture in the state and it expanded those requirements in 2018. This kind of transparency often creates the momentum needed to drive future change.

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