Rep. San Buenaventura Comments on Veto of Forfeiture Bill

Rep. Joy A. San Buenaventura (Puna) released the following statement on the veto of House Bill 748 by Gov. David Ige on July 8, 2019.

“I introduced this bill to prevent the ongoing seizing and selling of assets from people that have been arrested but not convicted of a crime. I am very disappointed in this veto as are so many people and organizations fighting to protect the rights and property of our residents.

“This bill would have required a criminal conviction before law enforcement could forfeit property, and any forfeiture revenue would be directed into the state’s general fund, not of into police and prosecutor’s office budgets which is a clear conflict of interest.

“With the recent corruption convictions we have seen in Hawai‘i, lawmakers must work hard to ensure residents that their public officials follow clear ethical guidelines when doing their jobs. If signed, this bill would have helped to show that people really are treated equally and fairly in Hawai‘i.”