As the Republican House and Senate leadership disagree on the prospects of criminal justice reform during an election year, Michigan is quietly joining the ranks of states that have moved on justice reinvestment.

Updated March 8, 2016.

If you seek a pleasant beer, look about you. That is what Michigan’s state motto should be. Home to the world’s third and fifth best breweries, the Great Lakes State is ranked fifth for the most breweries, microbreweries, and brewpubs per state in the nation.

On Wednesday, Michigan’s state Senate unanimously approved legislation consisting of seven reform bills aimed at raising the evidentiary standard of proof from a “preponderance of evidence” to “clear and convincing evidence,” and requiring police to better document the acquisition of seized property.

In 1988, John Bennis was convicted of indecency in the state of Michigan for engaging with a prostitute in his car. He was fined a mere $250 for the incident, but his car was seized through a civil court order under a public nuisance claim. Bennis’s wife, Tina Bennis, was also a legal owner of the vehicle, but despite her shared interest in the car, the state denied her rights as partial owner.

The Michigan Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved seven of eight civil asset forfeiture reform bills on Wednesday. The bills, which have been endorsed by a 10,000-member law enforcement organization, will provide meaningful property rights protections for law-abiding citizens, as well as bring uniformity and transparency in state forfeiture law.

Abuse of civil asset forfeiture laws can harm law enforcement's vital relationships with communities, especially at a time when their activities are coming under heightened scrutiny. Realizing this, the Michigan Association of Police Organizations has endorsed a package of eight reform bills working through the Michigan Legislature that would overhaul the state's civil asset forfeiture laws to provide more protections for innocent property owners.

In February, just after the start of the 2015 legislative session, Michigan House Republicans rolled out their action plan for the year. Among the issues included in the action plan was reform of the Wolverine State's civil asset forfeiture laws to promote transparency, accountability, and protect innocent people whose property may be wrongly seized by overzealous law enforcement.

In May, Gov. Rick Snyder rolled out his priorities to create a smart justice system in Michigan by proposing a series of reforms that have been successful in other states. Georgia and Texas, for instance, have seen significant savings through innovative justice reforms while crime and repeat offender rates dropped.