AUSTIN, Texas — On Wednesday, lawmakers in the Texas Senate passed a bill to fight mail theft.
Senate Bill 1281 would expand the definition of mail theft law to include checks, create a specific criminal offense for stealing master keys and enhance penalties for mail theft that’s part of an organized scheme.
According to an audit from 2023, the U.S. Postal Service loses millions of arrow keys every year. In recent years, thieves have used them to break into cluster mail boxes and steal mail, including checks and other sensitive materials.
Supporters of the bill say this expansion will give law enforcement more tools to crack down on a growing problem.
“Since the stakes are higher than ever, and the dollars at risk are tens of millions of dollars annually, it’s imperative that law enforcement be given additional tools for enforcement to stop these fraudsters,” said Lin Bearden, the chief lending officer at Texas Bank.
Last year, a KVUE Defenders investigation found people guilty of the crime aren’t always prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. It’s a federal crime for someone to have an arrow key if they’re not a postal employee, but Texas currently has no law specifically against the use of arrow keys.
Currently, state charges do not carry as much time as federal charges. Depending on how many addresses are hit, Texas law shows the crime may be a misdemeanor.
It’s not until mail is taken from at least 10 different addresses that the crime carries an automatic state felony charge, and it’s only punishable for up to two years unless investigators and prosecutors can prove other crimes associated with the case. The state crime is a third-degree felony if the mail is stolen from 30 or more addresses.
Now that the Senate has passed the bill, it heads to the House.