• Bipartisan legislation has just been unveiled that could finally reign in the government’s ability to seize private property from American citizens who never face criminal charges, according to Fox News.
  • Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin and Republican Rep. Tim Walberg pioneered the bill in an effort to stop authorities from seizing and sometimes keeping the property from citizens who are often never even charged with a real crime.
  • Bill cosponsor Rep. Jamie Raskin says that asset “forfeiture” has become far too commonplace, stating: "The lawless seizure and ‘forfeiture’ of people’s private property by police officers is becoming standard operating procedure in many parts of the country. We want to restore the presumption of innocence, fair judicial process, and the opportunity to be heard."
  • The new legislation comes just days after a Los Angeles resident, Linda Martin, took legal action after the FBI forcibly seized her life savings and $85 million worth of other Americans’ property in a 2021 raid of a safe deposit box company.

Why It Matters:

  • For many years, experts have expressed their concern that the practice of seizing citizens’ private property without due process could be in violation of the Constitution.
  • The Supreme Court has recently taken a stance on the issue by placing limits and restrictions on how property seizures by authorities are conducted, but lawmakers like Rep. Jamie Raskin and Rep. Tim Walberg believe more should be done.