Kansas Statutes § 60-4117 Disposition of forfeited property; use of proceeds of sale; tracking and reporting of deposits and expenditures.

60-4117. Disposition of forfeited property; use of proceeds of sale; tracking and reporting of deposits and expenditures. Except as provided in K.S.A. 65-7014, and amendments thereto: (a) When property is forfeited under this act, the law enforcement agency may: (1) Retain such property for official use or transfer the custody or ownership to any local or state agency, subject to any lien preserved by the court; (2) transfer the custody or ownership to any federal agency if authorized pursuant to K.S.A. 60-4107, and amendments thereto; (3) destroy or use for investigative or training purposes, any illegal or controlled substances and equipment or other contraband, provided that materials necessary as evidence shall be preserved; (4) sell property which is not required by law to be destroyed and which is not harmful to the public: (A) All property, except real property, designated by the seizing agency to be sold shall be sold at public sale to the highest bidder for cash without appraisal. The seizing agency shall first cause notice of the sale to be made by publication at least once in an official county newspaper as defined by K.S.A. 64-101, and amendments thereto. Such notice shall include the time, place, and conditions of the sale and description of the property to be sold. Nothing in this subsection shall prevent a state agency from using the state surplus property system and such system's procedures shall be sufficient to meet the requirements of this subsection. (B) Real property may be sold pursuant to subsection (a)(3)(A), or the seizing agency may contract with a real estate company, licensed in this state, to list, advertise and sell such real property in a commercially reasonable manner. (C) No employee or public official of any agency involved in the investigation, seizure or forfeiture of seized property may purchase or attempt to purchase such property; or (5) salvage the property, subject to any lien preserved by the court. (b) When firearms are forfeited under this act, the firearms, in the discretion of the seizing agency, shall be destroyed, used within the seizing agency for official purposes, traded to another law enforcement agency for use within such agency, sold or transferred to a properly licensed federal firearms dealer or given to the Kansas bureau of investigation for law enforcement, testing, comparison or destruction by the Kansas bureau of investigation forensic laboratory. (c) The proceeds of any sale shall be distributed in the following order of priority: (1) For satisfaction of any court preserved security interest or lien, or in the case of a violation, as defined by K.S.A. 60-4104(i), and amendments thereto, the proceeds shall be remitted to the state treasurer in accordance with the provisions of K.S.A. 75-4215, and amendments thereto. Upon receipt of such remittance, the state treasurer shall deposit the entire amount into the state treasury to the credit of the medicaid fraud reimbursement fund; (2) thereafter, for payment of all proper expenses of the proceedings for forfeiture and disposition, including expenses of seizure, inventory, appraisal, maintenance of custody, preservation of availability, advertising, service of process, sale and court costs; (3) reasonable attorney fees: (A) If the plaintiff's attorney is a county or district attorney, an assistant, or another governmental agency's attorney, fees shall not exceed 15% of the total proceeds, less the amounts of subsection (c)(1) and (2), in an uncontested forfeiture nor 20% of the total proceeds, less the amounts of subsection (c)(1) and (2), in a contested forfeiture. Such fees shall be deposited in the county or city treasury and credited to the special prosecutor's trust fund. Moneys in such fund shall not be considered a source of revenue to meet normal operating expenditures, including salary enhancement. Such fund shall be expended by the county or district attorney, or other governmental agency's attorney through the normal county or city appropriation system and shall be used for such additional law enforcement and prosecutorial purposes as the county or district attorney or other governmental agency's attorney deems appropriate, including educational purposes. All moneys derived from past or pending forfeitures shall be expended pursuant to this act. The board of county commissioners shall provide adequate funding to the county or district attorney's office to enable such office to enforce this act. Neither future forfeitures nor the proceeds therefrom shall be used in planning or adopting a county or district attorney's budget; (B) if the plaintiff's attorney is the attorney general and the conduct and offense giving rise to forfeiture is pursuant to K.S.A. 60-4104(i), and amendments thereto, fees shall not exceed 15% of the total proceeds, less the amounts of subsection (c)(1) and (2) in an uncontested forfeiture nor 20% of the total proceeds, less the amounts of subsection (c)(1) and (2) in a contested forfeiture. Such fees shall be remitted to the state treasurer in accordance with the provisions of K.S.A. 75-4215, and amendments thereto. Upon receipt of each such remittance, the state treasurer shall deposit the entire amount in the state treasury to the credit of the medicaid fraud prosecution revolving fund. Moneys paid into the medicaid fraud prosecution revolving fund pursuant to this subsection shall be appropriated to the attorney general for use by the attorney general in the investigation and prosecution of medicaid fraud and abuse; or (C) if the plaintiff's attorney is a private attorney, such reasonable fees shall be negotiated by the employing law enforcement agency; (4) repayment of law enforcement funds expended in purchasing of contraband or controlled substances, subject to any interagency agreement. (d) Any proceeds remaining shall be credited as follows, subject to any interagency agreement: (1) If the law enforcement agency is a state agency, the entire amount shall be deposited in the state treasury and credited to such agency's state forfeiture fund. There is hereby established in the state treasury the following state funds: Kansas bureau of investigation state forfeiture fund, Kansas attorney general's state medicaid fraud forfeiture fund, Kansas highway patrol state forfeiture fund, Kansas department of corrections state forfeiture fund and Kansas national guard counter drug state forfeiture fund. Expenditures from the Kansas bureau of investigation state forfeiture fund shall be made upon warrants of the director of accounts and reports issued pursuant to vouchers approved by the attorney general or by a person or persons designated by the attorney general. Expenditures from the Kansas attorney general's state medicaid fraud forfeiture fund shall be made upon warrants of the director of accounts and reports issued pursuant to vouchers approved by the attorney general or by a person or persons designated by the attorney general. Expenditures from the Kansas highway patrol state forfeiture fund shall be made upon warrants of the director of accounts and reports issued pursuant to vouchers approved by the superintendent of the highway patrol or by a person or persons designated by the superintendent. Expenditures from the Kansas department of corrections state forfeiture fund shall be made upon warrants of the director of accounts and reports issued pursuant to vouchers approved by the secretary of the department of corrections or by a person or persons designated by the secretary. Expenditures from the Kansas national guard counter drug state forfeiture fund shall be made upon warrants of the director of accounts and reports issued pursuant to vouchers approved by the adjutant general of Kansas or by a person or persons designated by the adjutant general. (2) If the law enforcement agency is a city or county agency, the entire amount shall be deposited in such city or county treasury and credited to a special law enforcement trust fund. (e) (1) Moneys in the Kansas bureau of investigation state forfeiture fund, Kansas highway patrol state forfeiture fund, Kansas department of corrections state forfeiture fund, the special law enforcement trust funds and the Kansas national guard counter drug state forfeiture fund shall not be considered a source of revenue to meet normal operating expenses. Such funds shall be expended by the agencies or departments through the normal city, county or state appropriation system and shall be used for such special, additional law enforcement purposes specified in subsection (e)(2) as the law enforcement agency head deems appropriate. Neither future forfeitures nor the proceeds from such forfeitures shall be used in planning or adopting a law enforcement agency's budget. (2) Moneys in the funds described in subsection (e)(1) shall be used only for the following special, additional law enforcement purposes: (A) The support of investigations and operations that further the law enforcement agency's goals or missions; (B) the training of investigators, prosecutors and sworn and non-sworn law enforcement personnel in any area that is necessary to perform official law enforcement duties; (C) the costs associated with the purchase, lease, construction, expansion, improvement or operation of law enforcement or detention facilities used or managed by the recipient agency; (D) the costs associated with the purchase, lease, maintenance or operation of law enforcement equipment for use by law enforcement personnel that supports law enforcement activities; (E) the costs associated with the purchase of multi-use equipment and operations used by both law enforcement and non-law enforcement personnel; (F) the costs associated with a contract for a specific service that supports or enhances law enforcement; (G) the costs associated with travel and transportation to perform or in support of law enforcement duties and activities; (H) the costs associated with the purchase of plaques and certificates for law enforcement personnel in recognition of a law enforcement achievement, activity or training; (I) the costs associated with conducting awareness programs by law enforcement agencies; (J) the costs associated with paying a state or local law enforcement agency's matching contribution or share in a state or federal grant program for items other than salaries; (K) cash transfers from one state or local law enforcement agency to another in support of the law enforcement agency's goals or missions; (L) transfers from a state or local law enforcement agency to a state, county or local governmental agency or community non-profit organization in support of the law enforcement agency's goals or missions; and (M) payment of attorney fees, litigation costs and interest ordered by a court pursuant to K.S.A. 60-4116, and amendments thereto. (3) Moneys in the funds described in subsection (e)(1) shall be separated and accounted for in a manner that allows accurate tracking and reporting of deposits and expenditures of the following categories of money: (A) Proceeds from forfeiture credited to the fund pursuant to this section; (B) proceeds from pending forfeiture actions under this act; and (C) proceeds from forfeiture actions under federal law. (f) Moneys in the Kansas attorney general's medicaid fraud forfeiture fund shall defray costs of the attorney general in connection with the duties of investigating and prosecuting medicaid fraud and abuse. History: L. 1994, ch. 339, § 17; L. 1999, ch. 170, § 22; L. 2000, ch. 68, § 1; L. 2005, ch. 141, § 3; L. 2006, ch. 183, § 10; L. 2018, ch. 26, § 12; L. 2024, ch. 79, § 9; L. 2025, ch. 45, § 1; July 1.