---
title: Civil Forfeiture Reform Advances from Wyoming Joint Judiciary Committee - Wyoming Liberty Group - Wyoming Liberty Group
description: Wyoming Joint Judiciary voted 12-to-1 to sponsor a bill eliminating civil forfeiture, replacing property seizure with conviction-based criminal forfeiture.
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\[!\[Wyoming Liberty Group\](https://wyliberty.org/images/2020/06/01/wy-logo-lg-trees.png)!\[Wyoming Liberty Group\](https://wyliberty.org/images/2020/06/01/wy-logo-sm-trees.png)\](https://wyliberty.org/) \[\](#)- \[Home\](https://wyliberty.org/) - \[About\](https://wyliberty.org/javascript:void(0);) - \[Who We Are\](https://wyliberty.org/about/who-we-are) - \[Core Principles\](https://wyliberty.org/about/core-principles) - \[Staff &amp; Board\](https://wyliberty.org/about/staff) - \[Current Posts\](https://wyliberty.org/current-posts) - \[Topics\](https://wyliberty.org/javascript:void(0);) - \[Wyliberty Policy Compass\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/wyliberty-policy-compass) - \[Economic\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/economic) - \[Education\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/education) - \[Election Security Standards\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/election-security-standards) - \[Energy and Resources\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/energy-and-resources) - \[Eye on the Issues\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/eye-on-the-issues) - \[Government Programs\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/government-programs) - \[Health Care\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/health-care) - \[Keep Wyoming Strong\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/keep-wyoming-strong) - \[Legal\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/legal-perspectives) - \[Limited Government\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/limited-government) - \[Marijuana/THC\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/marijuana-thc) - \[Political\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/political-perspectives) - \[Property Rights\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/property-rights) - \[Regulation\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/government-regulation) - \[Spotlight on WyLiberty\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/spotlight-on-wyliberty) - \[Timeless Topics\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/timeless-topics) - \[Transparency\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/government-transparency) - \[Get Involved\](https://wyliberty.org/javascript:void(0);) - \[Donation/Membership\](https://wyliberty.org/get-involved/donate) - \[Newsletter\](https://mailchi.mp/3d5c211df744/newsletter-sign-up) - \[Contact \](https://wyliberty.org/contact) - \[Search\](https://wyliberty.org/search) ## Explore ### Timeless Topics <a></a> Font size: \[ &amp;plus; \](https://wyliberty.org/javascript:void(0);) \[ – \](https://wyliberty.org/javascript:void(0);) \[ Print \](https://wyliberty.org/blog/property-rights/civil-forfeiture-reform-advances-from-wyoming-joint-judiciary-committee?tmpl=component&amp;print=1&amp;format=print "Print") # Civil Forfeiture Reform Advances from Wyoming Joint Judiciary Committee \[Property Rights\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/property-rights) \[Timeless Topics\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/timeless-topics) Thursday, 11 September 2014 LARAMIE – The Joint Judiciary Committee of the Wyoming Legislature voted to sponsor a bill that would substantially amend the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act today, by a vote of 12-1 (1 excused). The bill would eliminate the practice of "civil forfeiture" in Wyoming, which allows police to seize, and the attorney general to permanently deprive owners of, property that is allegedly related to the drug trade. Wyoming Liberty Group staff attorney Steve Klein began lobbying for forfeiture reform in the 2014 Budget Session and testified throughout the legislative interim. "Wyoming police may currently seize cash, cars, firearms and other property without charging the property owner of a crime or even finding drugs," said Klein. "If the bill passes in its current form, it will eliminate this practice and strongly protect property rights and due process." The committee bill, in its current form, would require a property owner to be convicted of a felony drug offense before related property may be forfeited. Criminal proceedings entitle defendants to a jury trial and legal representation, which are not currently required in civil forfeiture cases. "Above all, if the bill passes it will ensure a person is convicted of a crime before losing his or her property," said Klein. "This will make Wyoming a leader in protecting private rights, and ensure that Wyomingites are never subjected to the abuses seen in other states. The bill will be introduced in the 2015 Legislative Session, which begins in January 2015. \[ \](https://wyliberty.org/javascript:void(0);) \[ \](https://wyliberty.org/javascript:void(0);) \[ \](https://wyliberty.org/javascript:void(0);) Tags: \[2015 General Session\](https://wyliberty.org/blog-tags/2015-general-session) \[Civil Asset Forfeiture\](https://wyliberty.org/blog-tags/civil-asset-forfeiture) \[Civil Forfeiture\](https://wyliberty.org/blog-tags/civil-forfeiture) \[Property Rights\](https://wyliberty.org/blog-tags/property-rights) \[News Releases\](https://wyliberty.org/news-releases) \[ The Pursuit of Global Prosperity \](https://wyliberty.org/blog/economic/the-pursuit-of-global-prosperity) \[ The Wyoming Telecommunications Act: Necessary Regu... \](https://wyliberty.org/blog/government-programs/the-wyoming-telecommunications-act-necessary-regulation-or-covert-social-program) #### Related Posts ### \[WY 2026 HB 11 - Eminent Domain - Landowner Bill of Rights\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/property-rights/wy-2026-hb-11-eminent-domain-landowner-bill-of-rights) \[Property Rights\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/property-rights) ### \[Civil Forfeiture in Wyoming: Firearms Seizures Raise Second Amendment Concerns and Will Test the State’s New “Red Flag” Seizure Prohibition\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/legal-perspectives/civil-forfeiture-in-wyoming-firearms-seizures-raise-second-amendment-concerns-and-will-test-the-state-s-new-red-flag-seizure-prohibition) \[Legal\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/legal-perspectives) ### \[CEI Recognizes Our Recent Publication\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/legal-perspectives/cei-recognizes-our-recent-publication) \[Legal\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/legal-perspectives) ### \[Civil Forfeiture in Wyoming: Cash by Incomplete Numbers, 2018-2022\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/legal-perspectives/civil-forfeiture-in-wyoming-cash-by-incomplete-numbers-2018-2022) \[Legal\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/legal-perspectives) ### \[Civil Forfeiture Explained with Attorney Steve Klein - Episode 051\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/legal-perspectives/civil-forfeiture-explained-with-attorney-steve-klein-episode-051) \[Legal\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/legal-perspectives) ### \[Wyoming Supreme Court Decision Should Prompt the End of Civil Forfeiture\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/legal-perspectives/wyoming-supreme-court-decision-should-prompt-the-end-of-civil-forfeiture) \[Legal\](https://wyliberty.org/blog/legal-perspectives) !\[logo white 002\](https://wyliberty.org/images/general\_art/logo\_white\_002.png) \*\*Wyoming Liberty Group\*\* P.O. 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