This bill amends the requirements for the annual report that the attorney general must submit regarding forfeitures of personal property. Specifically, it mandates that the attorney general post a disaggregated report on the Department of Justice website within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year. The report must include completed state forfeiture activity and provide detailed information such as the name of the law enforcement agency involved, the date and type of property seized, the location of the seizure, the alleged criminal offense, the outcome of the suspect's case, and the total value of the forfeited property, excluding contraband. The previous requirement for a categorized accounting of proceeds expended has been removed, and the law enforcement agencies are now required to provide the data in disaggregated form. The bill is set to take effect 60 days after its passage and does not allocate new funding or positions. However, it is expected that the Department of Justice will incur additional expenditures to manage the expanded reporting requirements, estimating the need for a part-time paralegal to assist with data collation and reporting. The projected costs for this position are $47,214 in FY 2027, $45,569 in FY 2028, and $47,305 in FY 2029.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 617:12
As Amended by the House: 617:12
HB1631 text: 617:12