URGENT Civil Forfeiture Vote Scheduled

Tennessee’s civil asset forfeiture bill, H.B. 2428, has been scheduled to be heard in the House Civil Justice Subcommittee and a vote is scheduled for March 9! Civil forfeiture laws create a perverse incentive for police to target and seize property INSTEAD of targeting, investigating, and proving actual criminal behavior. H.B. 2428 would reform civil asset forfeiture and put an end to this attack on property rights. It is urgent that you call and email the members of the subcommittee TODAY and demand they pass this bill out of committee so it can get a full vote: Chair Jim Coley 615-741-8201 [email protected] Bill Beck 615-741-3229 [email protected] Mike Carter 615-741-3025 [email protected] Sherry Jones 615-741-2035 [email protected].gov Jon Lundberg 615-741-7623 [email protected].gov Civil forfeiture has become big business in Tennessee, and it allows the government to seize your cash, cars, and even your house, based on the mere suspicion of a crime. The Tennessee police who take your property will receive up to 90% of the proceeds – even if you haven’t been found guilty! H.B. 2428 would reform civil asset forfeiture, as it requires the state to deposit proceeds from forfeited property in the general fund, curbing the financial incentive of law enforcement to take your property. The legal theory behind civil forfeiture is that your property is guilty of a crime – not you. And since it is a civil procedure, NONE of the protections that would apply to a criminal proceeding are in place. Your property is presumed guilty. If you can’t prove it is “innocent,” you can lose it – even if you have not been accused of any wrongdoing! Your Tennessee representatives are under pressure to continue to allow this horrible practice. That’s why it is so urgent that you call and email the members of the committee TODAY and demand they vote this bill out of committee so it will have a chance for passage. Patriot, we need your help to ensure that civil asset forfeiture and “Policing for Profit” in Tennessee end immediately. Please call today.