This Bill Would Close a Loophole That Robs Americans of Due Process

[Geee]

Heritage Foundation

Lawmakers in the House of Representatives reintroduced sweeping bipartisan legislation to rein in and reform the nation’s abuse-prone civil forfeiture laws on Wednesday. 

If passed, the aptly-named FAIR, or Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration, Act—sponsored by Reps. Tim Walberg, R-Mich.; Tom McClintock, R-Calif.; Thomas Massie, R-Ky.; Jamie Raskin, D-Md.; Tony Cardenas, D-Calif.; and Bobby Rush, D-Ill.—would rebalance a system that has become skewed against innocent property owners in every meaningful way.

It was not always so. 

Civil forfeiture is the law enforcement tool that allows property or currency to be seized and permanently forfeited, even in situations where the owner is neither charged with nor convicted of a crime.