Forfeiture of property for criminal offenses.

14LSO-0130.L4

FISCAL NOTE

The fiscal impact to the judicial system is indeterminable due to an unknown number of cases.

There would be an indeterminable revenue decrease to the Attorney General’s Office to their Undistributed Attorney General Fund, which would result in a likely corresponding expenditure increase out of another fund.

Source of revenue decrease:

Forfeiture funds historically available for use by the Office of the Attorney General have ranged from $45,000 to more than $850,000 per year.  Due to the nature of seizure/forfeiture activity, it is impossible to estimate future revenues which, under the proposed legislation, would no longer be available for use by the Attorney General’s Office.

Forfeiture funds have historically been available for use by the Office of the Attorney General.  Such funds have been used primarily for investigative buy funds, ranging from approximately $300,000 to $430,000 per biennium.  Forfeiture funds have also been used for purchase and maintenance of software (Case Management System), lab equipment, and other purposes.  Total expenditures, including the above, have ranged from $300,000 to $1,500,000 per biennium.  Future expenditures of this type are not expected to change, but will have to be funded from some other source of funds, most likely from general fund appropriations.

Prepared by:   Matthew Sackett, LSO  Phone: 777-7881

(Information provided by Kristi Racines, Supreme Court; Phone: 777-7502 and Laura Gorny, Attorney General’s Office; Phone: 777-7840)