MADISON, Wis. (Dec. 4, 2015) – A bill introduced in the Wisconsin House would reform asset forfeiture laws to prohibit the state from taking property without a criminal conviction. The legislation also takes on federal forfeiture programs by banning prosecutors from circumventing state laws by passing cases off to the feds in most situations. A bipartisan coalition of 15 representatives introduced Assembly Bill 537 (AB537) on Nov. 24. The legislation would change Wisconsin’s current law by requiring a criminal conviction before prosecutors could proceed with asset forfeiture. Under current law, the state can seize assets even if a person is never found guilty of a crime. The bill would also retain the current requirement the proceeds from all forfeitures must go into the school fund. This provision curbs the policing for profit motive inherent in the current law. ADDRESSES FEDERAL PROGRAMS AB537 also closes a loophole that allows prosecutors to bypass more stringent state asset

Source: Wisconsin Bill Takes on “Policing for Profit” via Asset Forfeiture; Closes Federal Loophole | Tenth Amendment Center Blog