Please distribute this memo widely. Ask your family and friends to
     visit http://www.forfeiture.org as soon as possible. Thanks!


TO:      Interested persons

FROM:    Robert D. Kampia, MPP executive director

DATE:    Friday, February 11, 2000

SUBJECT: Please help push forfeiture reform bill through U.S. Senate!



Total number of letters sent to U.S. senators since February 10, 2000:

                                 ZERO

When is the Senate Judiciary Committee expected to vote on S. 1931?

                              FEBRUARY 24



As you may know, historic forfeiture reform legislation has passed in
the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 1658) and is now pending in
the U.S. Senate (S. 1931).

Unfortunately, S. 1931 is in danger of stalling in the Senate. If it
doesn't pass this year, then it's back to square one when the next
Congress convenes in January 2001.

Incredible as it may seem, current law allows federal agents to
take your property without convicting you of -- or even charging you
with -- a crime. (Under current law, government agents can seize your
property if they believe there is "probable cause" that the property
was used in a crime. Then, to get your property back, you must prove
that your property is "innocent"!)

In 85% of federal asset forfeiture cases, the owner of the property is
never charged with a crime, yet government officials can -- and
usually do -- keep the seized property for their own use. This is
nothing short of "legal theft."

Please write to your two U.S. senators and ask them to vote for
S. 1931 which, among other things, would require the government to
prove that property was used to commit a crime before it can be
forfeited.

Would you please visit http://www.forfeiture.org as soon as possible?
A national coalition of prestigious organizations has come together to
support forfeiture reform in Congress, but we will not be able to pass
S. 1931 unless your two U.S. senators hear from you and your friends,
colleagues, and family.

With the click of a couple of buttons, you can send a pre-written
letter to your two U.S. senators in less than two minutes. Thank you!



PROJECT #1

Please visit http://www.forfeiture.org as soon as possible to send a
letter of support to your two U.S. senators. Time is of the essence.



PROJECT #2

Would you please forward this entire e-mail message to your friends,
family, and colleagues? Thanks in advance.



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