 
February 22, 2000
ACTION ALERT! REFORM ASSET FORFEITURE!Laws intended to thwart the drug trade or piracy on the high seas are increasingly turned against law-abiding citizens-including physicians. Under civil forfeiture laws, police agencies are funding themselves by seizing the property of citizens who must then prove that their property is innocent of any crime. An astonishing 85% of persons who have their property taken are never even charged with a crime. In 1999, the federal government confiscated $957 million worth of private property. Representative Henry Hyde's long-overdue reform bill, H.R. 1658, overwhelmingly passed in the House. There are now two bills before the Senate Judiciary Committee: the Hatch bill (S. 1931) and the Sessions bill (S. 1701). The Hatch bill is not as strong as the Hyde bill, but is still worthy of support. It puts the burden of proof on the government, protects innocent property owners, and provides for attorney's fees in certain cases. The Sessions bill, on the other hand, would gut all of the fundamental reforms. A vote may occur this week. If the Hatch bill does not receive a majority vote in committee, the effort to stop the police property grab will come to a halt. WHAT YOU CAN DO:
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