Landlord and Tenant - Residential Leases - Prospective Tenant Criminal History Records Check (Maryland Fair Chance Housing Act)
Summary
House Bill 1073, titled the "Porch Piracy Act of 2025," creates a new criminal offense for stealing mail or packages that have been delivered or left for pickup by the U.S. Postal Service or a delivery company. The bill defines "mail or package" broadly to include tangible personal property delivered by USPS or a private carrier, and it prohibits knowingly and willfully taking or exercising control over such items without the intended recipient’s permission and with intent to deprive the owner.
The bill adds a new section to Maryland’s Criminal Law Article and makes this conduct a felony punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment. If enacted, it would expand Maryland law by specifically addressing package theft, commonly referred to as porch piracy, rather than relying solely on more general theft statutes. The bill takes effect October 1, 2025.
Impact
HB1073 would create a standalone felony offense in the Criminal Law Article for theft of delivered mail and packages, giving prosecutors a specific charge for porch piracy and related package theft cases. It would affect individuals who steal items delivered by USPS or private delivery services and would provide a clearer statutory basis for enforcement than general theft provisions alone. The bill would not alter landlord-tenant law despite the caption text in the context, but instead would add a new criminal statute focused on protecting recipients’ delivered property.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the limited context provided, the measure appears to be framed as a public-safety and consumer-protection response to package theft, with no recorded committee debate or votes available in the provided materials. The bill’s straightforward structure and felony penalty suggest an intent to treat porch piracy as a serious property crime. Because there are no transcripts or vote records included, there is no documented opposition or support to characterize beyond the bill’s apparent anti-theft purpose.
Contention
The main policy issue is the severity of the penalty: the bill classifies the offense as a felony with up to five years of imprisonment, which may raise questions about proportionality for package theft cases. Another possible point of discussion is the breadth of the definition of "mail or package," which covers items delivered by both USPS and private delivery companies and could affect a wide range of theft scenarios. No specific stakeholder objections or amendments are included in the provided record.