Massachusetts Advisory Committee Interim Memo on Civil Asset Forfeiture

In March 2022, the Massachusetts Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (Committee) voted to examine civil asset forfeiture in the Commonwealth. On April 27, 2022, the Committee held a briefing to hear about the practice in Massachusetts. There are two bills to reform civil forfeiture laws in Massachusetts currently pending before the Senate Ways & Means Committee. The Massachusetts Committee has deemed it appropriate to issue an interim memorandum to the Commission due to the time-sensitive nature of this pending legislation.