{"bill":{"id":"119-hr-7638","congress":119,"type":"HR","number":7638,"title":"FAIR Act of 2026","originChamber":"House","introducedDate":"2026-02-20","sponsors":[{"bioguideId":"W000798","fullName":"Rep. Walberg, Tim [R-MI-5]","party":"R","state":"MI","district":5}],"cosponsorsCount":3,"latestAction":{"actionDate":"2026-02-20","text":"Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned."},"policyArea":"Crime and Law Enforcement","subjects":[],"actions":[{"date":"2026-02-20","text":"Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.","type":"IntroReferral","chamber":"House floor actions","hasVote":false},{"date":"2026-02-20","text":"Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.","type":"IntroReferral","chamber":"House floor actions","hasVote":false},{"date":"2026-02-20","text":"Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.","type":"IntroReferral","chamber":"House floor actions","hasVote":false},{"date":"2026-02-20","text":"Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.","type":"IntroReferral","chamber":"House floor actions","hasVote":false},{"date":"2026-02-20","text":"Introduced in House","type":"IntroReferral","chamber":"Library of Congress","hasVote":false},{"date":"2026-02-20","text":"Introduced in House","type":"IntroReferral","chamber":"Library of Congress","hasVote":false}],"summary":"<p><strong>Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act of 2026 or the FAIR Act of 2026</strong></p><p>This bill establishes more stringent requirements for the federal government with respect to civil asset forfeiture. <em>Civil asset forfeiture</em> generally refers to the seizure and forfeiture of property in connection with federal crimes.</p><p>Specifically, the bill makes various changes to the general rules governing civil forfeiture proceedings. Among the changes, the bill&nbsp;</p><ul><li>generally requires the government to notify interested parties within 7 days (currently, 60 days) of a seizure,</li><li>requires an indigent property owner to be represented by counsel regardless of whether the owner requests counsel,</li><li>requires&nbsp;the government to meet a higher evidentiary standard in order to prove&nbsp;that seized property is connected to a crime, and</li><li>expands the factors&nbsp;courts must consider in determining whether a forfeiture of property is constitutionally excessive.</li></ul><p>Additionally, the bill eliminates statutory authority for equitable sharing (i.e., sharing of federally forfeited assets with state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies that participate in law enforcement efforts resulting in a&nbsp;forfeiture). It directs forfeiture proceeds to be deposited into the general fund of the Treasury instead of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Assets Forfeiture Fund.</p><p>The bill requires a prompt probable cause hearing following the seizure of money involved in a structuring offense (i.e., structuring currency transactions to evade currency reporting requirements).</p><p>Finally, the bill requires the annual report on deposits to the DOJ Assets Forfeiture Fund to specify&nbsp;total deposits from each type of forfeiture.</p>","updateDate":"2026-06-05T21:30:38Z"},"markets":[],"stateBills":[],"meta":{"sources":["congress.gov"],"latencyMs":381,"ts":"2026-07-14T04:22:21.020Z"},"nextActions":{"inspect":[],"related":[{"description":"Search related legislation","method":"GET","url":"https://simplefunctions.dev/api/public/query-gov?q=FAIR%20Act%20of%202026"}]}}