Sen. Rand Paul introduces bipartisan bill that will provide due process protections to property owners

WASHINGTON (KT) - U.S. Senator Rand Paul, R-Bowling Green, has joined with Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, to introduce the bipartisan Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration (FAIR) Act, aimed at reforming civil forfeiture laws and protecting Americans' rights from government abuse.

"The government should never have the power to seize a person's property without due process," said Paul. "Yet, under current civil asset forfeiture laws, Americans are being stripped of their property without ever being charged or convicted of a crime. The FAIR Act directly addresses these injustices and is a critical step toward restoring fairness and accountability, protecting property owners' rights and curbing the weaponization of civil forfeiture laws once and for all."

Booker noted, "Civil asset forfeiture allows federal law enforcement to seize the property of Americans who haven't even been charged with or convicted of a crime. Under this system, police can keep cash, cars, and even homes based on mere suspicion of a crime. These losses often become law enforcement's profit because the burden is on the property owner to prove they should get their property back. Reforming federal civil asset forfeiture is long overdue and the FAIR Act will ensure due process and protect the public from unfair deprivations and forfeiture abuses."

The latest version of the FAIR Act closely mirrors previous versions of the bill, with updates to reflect changes made by the House Judiciary Committee during a markup on June 14, 2023. The bill was favorably reported out of committee by a unanimous 26-0 vote, signaling broad bipartisan support and increasing the likelihood of legislative progress. In the Senate, the FAIR Act is currently cosponsored by Senators Mike Lee, R-Utah, Angus King, I-Maine, Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyoming, Ron Wyden, D-Oregon and Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland.

Supporters say by passing the FAIR Act, Congress can decisively remedy this unjust system by providing strong due process protections to property owners.