Stop The Abusive Use of Asset Forfeiture. Protect Texans' Property Rights!
- by: Just Liberty
- recipient: Senator John Cornyn and Senator Ted Cruz
According to the Justice Department, last year, Americans had more assets seized by law enforcement forfeiture programs than burglars actually took robbing people's houses.
Civil asset forfeiture allows law enforcement to strip you of your home, business, money, vehicle or any possessions of worth if they think it was somehow involved in a crime, even before you've had your day in court.
Asset forfeiture was designed to go after drug kingpins, but now it has been expanded beyond reason or common sense as local governments have become too dependent on this revenue.
But now, to everyone's surprise, the US House of Representatives has passed bipartisan legislation to limit asset forfeiture abuses, rebuffing US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who wanted to restart much-criticized forfeiture programs eliminated under the last administration.
Both of Texas' US Senators – John Cornyn and Ted Cruz – sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee and will have an out-sized voice in deciding whether the Senate similarly approves these bipartisan amendments.
When the government takes more of people's stuff than burglars, all in the name of stopping crime, something's gone terribly wrong with law enforcement's incentives and priorities.
Will you take a few moments to send a message to Senators Cornyn and Cruz and urge them to support these measures to reform asset forfeiture?
Dear Senator:
Asset forfeiture by law enforcement has gotten out of control. For the first time, as of a couple of years ago, law enforcement now takes more money from Americans every year through legal asset forfeiture than burglars steal! That's crazy! How can such a thing go on?
The US House of Representative recently passed amendments to the budget by Republican Reps. Justin Amash and Tim Walberg, and Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin that would roll back efforts by the new Administration to ramp up asset forfeiture nationwide and bypass state-level reform laws by usurping them with federal rules.
That's not only bad public policy from the perspective of ensuring accountability for forfeiture abuses, it's also a breach of federalist principles. I'm asking you to support including the same amendments in the senate budget.
This year, it seems like Congress can't accomplish anything. But here's a chance to take bipartisan action to show the public that Congress is still capable of governing, especially in the face of a strong bipartisan consensus, which is what we have on asset forfeiture reform.
[Your Comment]
Thank you in advance for supporting these measures.
[Your Name]
