A plan to let Tennessee officials seize property believed to have been used for terrorism is beginning to gain steam in the state legislature, following an amendment that made the bill a little more acceptable to Muslims in the state.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 9-0 to give initial approval to
Senate Bill 180 yesterday, which would expand Tennessee’s asset forfeiture laws to cover terrorist acts.
The move came after the proposal’s backers agreed to require a conviction before law enforcement groups could take property.
That represents a step forward, said Paul Galloway, executive director of the American Center for Outreach, a Muslim advocacy group based in Nashville.
“It’s an improvement, but not 100 percent what we’d like to see.”
Galloway said Muslims remain worried their houses of worship could be sued by victims or their relatives if a congregant is involved in terrorism. He said the bar for a judge to order a forfeiture in a civil case is lower than what’s required in a criminal prosecution.
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