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Senate appropriations committee advances House Bill 1250 to guarantee counsel in forfeiture cases
Summary
The Senate Appropriations Committee heard mixed testimony on House Bill 1250—supporters said it restores due process by funding counsel in civil forfeiture cases, while state agencies warned it would drain a law-enforcement grant fund; the committee voted to pass the bill unanimously and put it on the consent calendar.
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday voted to adopt House Bill 1250 after hearing testimony from civil-rights groups, law-enforcement representatives and state officials about funding and fairness in civil asset forfeiture.
Ani Robinson, public policy director at the ACLU of Colorado, testified in favor of the bill, saying the measure addresses “a fundamental imbalance” in which the government can seize property before any criminal conviction and many people lack meaningful access to legal representation. “This bill makes a critical and long overdue correction by establishing access to forfeiture defense counsel and creating a fund to ensure representation is actually accessible, not just…
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