Innocent Virginia residents are still at risk of having their property wrongfully taken through civil asset forfeiture after the Virginia Senate, on Wednesday, tabled a common sense bill that would have required a criminal conviction property believed to be connected to a crime could be forfeited to the government.

On Wednesday, the Virginia General Assembly will meet in Richmond for its annual veto session, in which lawmakers will weigh nearly 70 pieces of legislation vetoed or amended by the Governor. Among the bills that will be considered is SB 721, to which an amendment has been offered to require a criminal conviction before the government can take property believed to be used in an illicit activity.

While some Republicans on the national level -- such as Rand Paul and Mike Lee -- are working diligently to reform the nation's civil asset forfeiture laws, Virginia Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment (R-James City) has failed to protect innocent people and their property from this pernicious form of government overreach.