This bill amends the requirements for the annual report that the attorney general must submit regarding forfeitures of personal property. The new legal language specifies that the report must be posted on the Department of Justice website within 120 days after the close of the fiscal year and must include detailed information about each seizure. The previous requirement for a categorized accounting of proceeds expended has been deleted, and in its place, the bill introduces a comprehensive list of specific data points that must be reported. These include the name of the law enforcement agency involved, the date and place of the seizure, the type and estimated value of the property, the alleged criminal offense, the outcome of the criminal case, and various details regarding the forfeiture process.

Additionally, the bill mandates that law enforcement agencies provide disaggregated data on seizures, forfeitures, and expenditures of forfeiture proceeds to the attorney general. The act is set to take effect 60 days after its passage. While the bill does not provide funding or authorize new positions, it is expected to incur additional administrative costs for the Department of Justice, including the hiring of an investigative paralegal, with estimated costs of $59,000 in FY 2026, $58,000 in FY 2027, and $60,000 in FY 2028, funded primarily through federal sources.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 617:12