Civil forfeiture reform legislation passes Idaho House

From the office of Rep. Ilana Rubel, D-Boise:

BOISE: In a unanimous vote today in the Idaho House of Representatives, an amended version of House Bill 202 sailed through 63-0. The legislation, co-sponsored by Rep. Ilana Rubel (D-Boise), reforms Idaho’s civil asset forfeiture statutes. Under the legislation, law enforcement would no longer be able to confiscate property that has no connection to a drug crime other than being “in proximity” to a controlled substance. Additionally, vehicles cannot be taken unless there is a drug trafficking offense shown - mere drug possession is not enough. The bill also makes clear that the possession of cash, without any evidence of a drug offense, is not grounds to seize that cash. The bill was co-sponsored by Rep. Steven Harris (R-Meridian).

“Passage of this bill demonstrates how you can get things done in the Legislature when serious people are willing to work together,” Rep. Rubel said. “Although there were some bumps along the road toward passage of this legislation, the stakeholders didn’t bicker and blow up the bill. They worked out their differences and got it passed. This is good legislation that will protect innocent Idahoans and help law enforcement do their job better.”

HB 202 now heads to the Governor’s desk for signature.