MN HF16

Limits vehicle forfeiture for driving while impaired offenses to cases where driver is convicted, fails to appear in court, or receives designated license revocation; creates innocent owner protections allowing property owners to claim vehicles without knowledge of illegal use.

Raises threshold for seizing vehicles in controlled substance cases from $75 to $100 retail value and requires vehicles be used for transportation or exchange of drugs intended for distribution or sale.

Prohibits law enforcement from transferring seized property to federal agencies if the transfer would circumvent state law, limiting federal equitable sharing program participation.

Requires comprehensive reporting to state auditor on all forfeitures including amounts, statutory authority, disposition method, costs, and expenditures; mandates state auditor conduct financial audits and report publicly.

Appropriates $61,000 in fiscal year 2021 and establishes $209,000 annual base funding for state auditor to manage audit and reporting requirements; requires legislative auditor study on forfeiture efficacy and recidivism reduction by January 2024.