(Mitchell) Appropriations: 10-2-5
(Mitchell) Floor: 24-44-12
SB 443 limits the use of a controversial federal law, dating to the 1980s drug war, that allows law enforcement agencies to keep money, vehicles and other assets if they suspect they were used to commit a crime or are proceeds of illegal activity. Under this dubious law, the owner need not have been convicted or even charged with a crime. SB 443 restores due process and reinforces constitutional protections to prevent law enforcement from seizing a person’s property without earning a conviction — an issue that disproportionately harms people of color and low-income individuals.