Asset forfeiture reform bill falls victim to COVID-shortened session
In a normal legislative session, lawmakers, prosecutors and interest groups would have had some time to hash out their differences on civil asset forfeiture, possibly paving the way for the passage of a reform that advocates have sought for years.
The 2020 session, however, was far from normal. The COVID-19 crisis led the legislature to go on hiatus for more than a month, and when lawmakers returned to the Capitol, the House of Representatives and Senate operated independently of each other, with little coordination or cooperation.
Senate Bill 1556 would have made a number of changes to Arizona’s civil asset forfeiture system, under which law enforcement and prosecutors can take money and property allegedly used for or resulting from crimes. Chief among them would be to require a criminal conviction before property can be permanently taken.
For advocates of reform, requiring a conviction before property can be taken through forfeiture is a matter of basic fairness and constitutional rights. In the United States, people are supposed to be considered innocent until proven guilty, and no one is supposed to be deprived of property without due process of law.
Read more: https://www.azmirror.com/2020/05/29/asset-forfeiture-reform-bill-falls-victim-to-covid-shortened-session/