Economic Development - Tax Increment Financing - Noncontiguous Areas
HB 135, titled the “Porch Piracy Act of 2025,” creates a new criminal offense for knowingly and willfully taking or exercising control over mail or a package delivered to another person without permission and with intent to deprive the owner. The bill defines “mail or package” broadly to include items delivered or left for pickup by the U.S. Postal Service or a delivery service company that delivers tangible personal property. A violation is classified as a felony punishable by up to 5 years’ imprisonment.
The bill also requires sentencing courts to order restitution in every conviction under the new offense, either by returning the mail or package to the intended recipient or by paying restitution for its value under Maryland’s restitution laws. In addition, it amends Criminal Procedure provisions governing overdue restitution so that the Central Collection Unit must report overdue restitution arising from a violation of the new mail/package theft offense to consumer reporting agencies. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025.
HB 135 adds a new section to Maryland’s Criminal Law Article and makes related changes to the Criminal Procedure Article to ensure restitution enforcement for mail and package theft cases. It expands the state’s criminal code to specifically address porch piracy and ties convictions to mandatory restitution and collection mechanisms, including consumer credit reporting for overdue restitution tied to this offense. The bill affects defendants convicted of package theft, victims seeking restitution, the Central Collection Unit, and consumer reporting agencies.
The bill appears to be framed as a public-safety and consumer-protection measure, with its title and structure indicating a strong legislative intent to deter package theft and improve remedies for victims. No committee transcript or vote record was provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or opposition in the supplied materials. Based on the text alone, the measure seems likely to have been presented as a straightforward anti-theft bill with a punitive and restitution-focused approach.
The main policy choice in the bill is the creation of a felony offense with a maximum 5-year sentence for theft of mail or packages, which could raise concerns about proportionality for lower-value thefts or first-time offenders. Another potentially contentious feature is the requirement that overdue restitution related to this offense be reported to consumer reporting agencies, which may be viewed as an additional enforcement tool but also as a significant collateral consequence. Because no discussion or vote history was provided, no specific lawmakers or stakeholder groups are identified as opposing or supporting these provisions in the record supplied.