HB 518 - Forfeiture Database and Reporting Act

• Create a statewide civil asset forfeiture database through the Criminal Justice Information Center Commission and Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) to collect and analyze forfeiture data from state, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies by January 1, 2019.

• Require law enforcement agencies to report detailed forfeiture information including seizing agency, seizure date, property type and value, underlying criminal offense, case disposition, forfeiture outcomes, and property disposition.

• Mandate annual public reports to the Governor, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and Speaker of the House summarizing statewide forfeiture activities by January 31 of the following year, with the initial report due by the fifth legislative day of the 2020 Legislative Session.

• Require civil asset forfeiture funds to be maintained on separate budget line items, deposited in publicly audited accounts, and tracked with annual expenditure reports to ALEA for legislative inclusion.

• Protect individual privacy by prohibiting identification of individuals in public databases by name, specific address, or other identifying information.