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One Texas lawmaker, state Rep. David Simpson (R-Longview), is trying to change the law to rein in the abuse of civil asset forfeiture by overzealous law enforcement. Innocent people often have their property seized without any real cause, leading to, as the Mount Pleasant-based Daily Tribune put it, an "extremely difficult and expensive" process for them to get it back. Even if the property owner is never charged or convicted of a crime, law enforcement agencies in Texas are able to keep the proceeds of the items seized.
Earlier this month, Simpson filed HB 3171, which would ban civil asset forfeiture in Texas by requiring that law enforcement obtain a criminal conviction before items used in an illicit act can be forfeited. "No one should forfeit their property without being convicted of a crime," said Simpson, according to the Longview News-Journal. "Our current civil forfeiture provisions, though a well intended tool for law enforcement, have eroded the constitutional rights of individuals. It is time we end the practice."