-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Tue, 8 Feb 2000 05:15:47 -0800 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Urgent Action Item! To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Libertarian Party announcements list) Send reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- =============================================== URGENT ACTION ITEM! FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY =============================================== Watergate Office Building 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100 Washington DC 20037 Phone: (202) 333-0008 Ext. 222 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For information about the party: (800) ELECT-US =============================================== February 8, 2000 =============================================== U.S. Senate vote expected on bill to reform civil asset-forfeiture laws Immediate action required! Telephone Senators on the below list immediately! The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote this week on a bill that would dramatically reform civil asset-forfeiture laws, which allow the government to confiscate the property of innocent Americans who aren't even accused of a crime. We are asking everyone whose Senator(s) sits on the Judiciary Committee to telephone them *immediately* and ask them to support S. 1931, The Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act, sponsored by Sens. Orrin Hatch and Patrick Leahy. (A list of Senators on the Judiciary Committee is provided below.) Though a vote is not certain to occur, we are asking you to act now because by the time a vote is certain, it may be too late to notify you. BACKGROUND: Last June we asked you to telephone your House representative and ask him or her to support HR 1658, The Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 1999, sponsored by Rep. Henry Hyde, R-IL. With your help, that bill passed the House by an overwhelming vote of 374-48. Now the Senate version of that bill, S. 1931, is expected to come up for a vote in the Judiciary Committee. The Judiciary Committee vote is crucial because the panel is much more resistant to asset-forfeiture reform than the full Senate. The committee is stacked with former prosecutors and other politicians who are generally anti-civil liberties and pro-drug war, like Sens. Charles Schumer, Strom Thurmond, Teddy Kennedy, and Jeff Sessions. Our Capitol Hill sources predict that this legislation could sail through the full Senate by a lopsided vote just as in the House -- but first it has to get through the Judiciary Committee. That's why it's important to put the pressure on now, using the momentum from the House victory. And though this legislation is not perfect, it may be our only chance to significantly reform asset forfeiture laws, which police routinely use to confiscate the possessions of thousands of innocent Americans without producing a search warrant, arresting them, or charging them with a crime. Shockingly, these laws force Americans who want their property back to go to court to "prove" they haven't committed a crime, and even to post a bond before they are granted the "right" to contest the seizure. Currently there are over 200 asset forfeiture laws on the books, most of which were spawned by the Drug War. Thanks to these laws, the cops have literally become *worse* than the robbers. Case in point: According to the U.S. Department of Justice, bank robbers stole assets worth a total of $28 million in 1994. But during the same year, federal prosecutors confiscated $2.1 *billion* in cars, boats, homes, and other property -- according to writer James Bovard. That means that government "criminals" confiscated 75 times as much property as private criminals! So let's seize this chance to stop the government from seizing our property. S. 1931 would dramatically reform current law by: * Forcing the government to prove by a "preponderance of evidence" standard that property is subject to forfeiture. (Current law requires only a "probable cause" standard.) * Allowing property owners to sue the government for destruction of seized property while in its possession. * Awarding interest payments to property owners who successfully get their property back. * Eliminating the requirement that a property owner file a 10 percent bond to challenge a seizure. * Providing for an "innocent owner" defense, so that people who were unaware that their property was being used unlawfully could have it returned. * Requiring the government to notify in writing anyone whose property has been seized, and forcing the government to return the property if such notice is not given. * Forcing the government to pay reasonable attorneys' fees for prevailing property owners and to pay for the appointment of counsel for the indigent. Of course, Libertarians would immediately abolish asset forfeiture laws rather than reforming them, but until we elect enough Libertarians to do that, we will support legislation that dramatically improves current laws, and S. 1931 would do that. Please pick up the phone *immediately* and complete this action item! WHAT TO DO: Look at the list below to see if any of the Senators from your state sit on the Judiciary Committee. If so, call the Congressional switchboard at 202-225-3121 or 202-224-3121. Then ask to speak to the office of your Senator. The switchboard is open 24 hours, and most Senate offices have voice mail, so please make the call as soon as you get this message. WHAT TO SAY: (1) Identify yourself and let them know you are a voter in their state. Leave your name, address, complete with ZIP code, and phone number. Please be brief, especially if you are leaving a message. (2) Ask them to vote YES on S. 1931, The Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act, sponsored by Senators Hatch and Leahy. (3) Ask them to vote AGAINST any other asset-forfeiture bills, and AGAINST any weakening amendments. (4) Ask them to write you a letter confirming their position. Is there anything else you can do? Yes! Forward this E-mail to a friend, and ask them to call their Senator, too, if his or her name is on the list. Thank you for your help! Sincerely, Steve Dasbach National Director Libertarian Party List of Senators on the Judiciary Committee: Orrin Hatch, R-UT Strom Thurmond, R-SC Charles Grassley, R-IA Arlen Specter, R-PA Mike DeWine, R-OH Jon Kyl, R-AZ Spencer Abraham, R-MI John Ashcroft, R-MO Jeff Sessions, R-AL Bob Smith, R-NH Patrick Leahy, D-VT Ted Kennedy, D-MA Joe Biden, D-DE Herb Kohl, D-WI Dianne Feinstein, D-CA Russell Feingold, D-WI Bob Torricelli, D-NJ Charles Schumer, D-NY -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBOKAeq9CSe1KnQG7RAQEq3wQAhveMFEsThmr/MUVcW/+6bWBtwwp4DxNd XgAf8jBf53CSAvXgRQ/vQSC7/Y0hpGlrUFDgcAdb0VHjRx6kevTLz/uY3nDRZ921 OKMhdaJkDR5RhnEiL7oj9ZDs8Yb2A1YVeZOM0HU7/KHi/r8FIHs4ZklT2gmW+9bJ v9/koRh05uk= =jz4V -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- The Libertarian Party http://www.lp.org/ 2600 Virginia Ave. NW, Suite 100 voice: 202-333-0008 Washington DC 20037 fax: 202-333-0072 For subscription changes, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> with just the word "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" in the subject line. 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