Joe Crowley: “I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for yielding me this time, and I want to thank, as well, the…”

“I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for yielding me this time, and I want to thank, as well, the cosponsor--actually, the lead sponsor--Mr. Roskam, for his work here today. Today is a good day for the American taxpayers as, hopefully, the House of Representatives will soon, once again, pass the Clyde-Hirsch- Sowers RESPECT Act to enact vital reforms to the Federal Government's civil asset forfeiture process. Civil asset forfeiture is an important tool that the IRS and other Federal agencies use to go after ill-gotten funds from drug dealers, human traffickers, terrorists, and other criminals. This bill will not weaken that vital law enforcement tool one iota, and that is an important point to make. But this legislation will codify into law much-needed reforms to the process to stop what we believe is an abuse of the asset seizures practiced, abusive seizures such as the government's ability to take a person's bank account without ever charging them with a crime. The Oversight Subcommittee on the Ways and Means Committee, under the guidance of Chairman Peter Roskam, undertook a painstaking, multiyear investigation to get to the bottom of these abusive practices. This investigation included holding a series of congressional hearings--that doesn't always happen anymore around here, Peter, as you know--meeting with officials from a number of Federal agencies, including the IRS.…”