S. 4074: FAIR Act

116th Congress · introduced 2020-06-25 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2020-06-25 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

FAIR Act

Plain summary

Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act of 2019 or the FAIR Act This bill revises the procedure for and the structure of civil forfeiture. First, the bill revises the general rules for civil forfeiture proceedings. Specifically, it (1) requires the government to provide written notice within seven days of seizure, (2) requires the right to counsel in all civil forfeiture proceedings, (3) raises the evidentiary standard to clear and convincing evidence for the civil forfeiture of property, (4) requires the government to establish by clear and convincing evidence that the owner of the seized property used the property with the intent to facilitate the offense or knowingly consented or was willfully blind to its use in connection with the offense, and (5) expands the proportionality criteria used by a court to determine whether a civil forfeiture was constitutionally excessive. Next, it requires the proceeds from the disposition of seized property to be deposited into the General Fund of the Treasury, rather than to Department of Justice accounts for law enforcement activities. Additionally, the bill eliminates equitable sharing payments (which allow the federal government to share federally forfeited property with participating states and local law enforcement agencies). It also adds a mens rea requirement (i.e., a knowing violation) to the prohibition against structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements. Further, it requires a probable cause hearing to be held within 14 days to determine if there is a violation for structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements, and requires the return of a monetary instrument if probable cause is not established.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

FAIR Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY] · 3 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Angus S. King, Jr. (I-ME), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Mike Lee (R-UT)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY] reported raising $4.6 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116s4074.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/s>

Record fed-us-cong116-s4074 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116