South Carolina House Bill 3045

---

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: Introduced on January 10 2023 - 25% progression
Action: 2023-01-10 - Referred to Committee on Judiciary
Pending: House Judiciary Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [HTML]

Amend The South Carolina Code Of Laws By Amending Section 44-53-520, Relating To Controlled Substances And Forfeiture Procedures For Property Seized Accordingly, So As To Provide For The Expedited Return Of Certain Property And Monies Seized When Forfeiture Proceedings Have Not Been Instituted And Charges Have Not Been Filed Within Thirty Days Of Seizure, To Provide That The Lawful Owner May Not Be Required To Prove That The Property Or Monies Seized Were Legally Acquired, To Prohibit The Seizing Authority From Requiring A Lawful Owner Of Property Or Monies To Sign A Release Absolving The Seizing Authority From Civil Liability Relating To An Unlawful Seizure Before Property Or Monies Are Returned, And To Provide That Criminal Charges May Be Brought At A Later Date If Evidence Warrants; By Amending Section 44-53-530, Relating To Controlled Substances And Forfeiture Procedures For Property Seized Accordingly, So As To Allow Forfeiture Proceedings To Be Held In The Magistrates Court If The Value Of The Property Seized Does Not Exceed Seven Thousand Five Hundred Dollars, Change The Method Of Allocating Various Assets Obtained Through Drug Forfeitures So That After The First One Thousand Dollars Retained By The Appropriate Law Enforcement Agency, The Remaining Assets Must Be Forwarded To The Prosecuting Agency, And Make Technical Changes Reflecting The New Distribution Of These Assets; And By Amending Section 44-53-586, Relating To The Return Of Seized Items Under Drug Forfeiture Laws To Innocent Owners, So As To Allow Proceedings To Be Held In The Magistrates Court If The Value Of The Property Seized Does Not Exceed Seven Thousand Five Hundred Dollars.

Controlled substances, revised forfeiture procedures

Rep. Todd Rutherford [D]

Date	Chamber	Action
2023-01-10	House	Referred to Committee on Judiciary
2023-01-10	House	Introduced and read first time
2022-12-08	House	Referred to Committee on Judiciary
2022-12-08	House	Prefiled

Chapter	Article	Section	Citation Type	Statute Text
44	53	520	(n/a)	See Bill Text
44	53	530	(n/a)	See Bill Text
44	53	586	(n/a)	See Bill Text

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=3045&session=125&summary=B
Text	https://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess125_2023-2024/prever/3045_20221208.htm