Requires courts to approve all federal property seizures, boosting owner rights.
This bill would make it harder for the government to take people's property through civil forfeiture. It would require all property seizures to go through a court and raise the legal standard the government must meet. This means more protection for individuals and less power for federal agencies to seize assets without judicial review.
Today, federal agencies can seize property without a court order, and the government only needs to show a "preponderance of the evidence" to keep it. Forfeited money often goes into special funds for law enforcement agencies. If this bill passes, all property seizures would require a court order, and the government would need "clear and convincing evidence" to prove the property should be forfeited. All money from forfeited property would go to the U.S. Treasury's general fund instead of agency-specific accounts.
HR 7638 · 119th Congress · February 20, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 8/10
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