All the elements were in place for Alabama lawmakers to hit a legislative home run on civil asset forfeiture reform: Support from lawmakers in both parties, the backing of left- and right-leaning special interest groups, and strong public approval.
In the end, lawmakers were left standing after a called third strike.
"Unfortunate," state Rep. Patricia Todd, D-Birmingham, said.
"It's a complicated issue," said state Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur.
Said Sen. Dick Brewbaker, R-Pike Road: "If you go interview legislators one-by-one, it's hard to find one who will defend our civil asset forfeiture law. There is very little debate on whether the current law is being abused."
Read more at:
https://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/05/how_alabama_lawmakers_swung_an.html
