In one paragraph
Maryland's HB 210 (2025, the Porch Piracy Act of 2025, third reader) is a mail and package theft bill. It would have made taking mail or a package addressed to someone else a felony (up to 5 years), created penalties for mail theft and arrow-key offenses, and added mail theft under Criminal Law section 3-905.1 to the list of crimes in Criminal Procedure section 2-503(a)(1)(i) that police may investigate using facial recognition technology. It passed the House 137-0 and was referred to Senate Judicial Proceedings March 17, 2025; it died when the session ended.
Plain-English summary, written with AI assistance. The official text controls.
What it means for business
None: the bill died when the 2025 session ended. It would have created mail theft crimes; its only facial recognition effect was letting police use facial recognition to investigate mail theft.
Key provisions
- Would have added Criminal Law section 7-106.1: knowingly or willfully, without the intended recipient's permission, obtaining or exerting control over mail or a package delivered to another, with intent to deprive the owner, is a felony, up to 5 years' imprisonment
- Would have replaced section 3-905 (opening another's mail: misdemeanor, up to 1 month, $1,000 fine or both) and added section 3-905.1 (mail theft: misdemeanor up to 2 years, $1,000; theft with an arrow key: felony up to 5 years, $5,000; possessing an arrow key to commit mail theft: felony up to 3 years, $3,000)
- Facial recognition: would have added "mail theft under section 3-905.1" as item 11 in Criminal Procedure section 2-503(a)(1)(i), which limits the crimes police may investigate with facial recognition technology; the bill adds no other facial recognition rules
- District Court would have had exclusive original jurisdiction over violations of sections 3-905 and 3-905.1, concurrent with the circuit court for the felonies under those sections
- Would have taken effect October 1, 2025; no sunset
Latest legislative action
Mar 17, 2025. Referred Judicial Proceedings
Sponsors (showing 5 of 16)
| Name | Role | District |
|---|---|---|
| Aaron Kaufman D | Sponsor | HD-018 |
| Cheryl Pasteur D | Sponsor | HD-011 |
| Emily Shetty D | Sponsor | HD-018 |
| Frank Conaway D | Sponsor | HD-040 |
| Gary Simmons D | Sponsor | HD-012 |
Roll call votes
H Third Reading: Passed Mar 17, 2025
137 yea0 nay4 otherPassed
Amendments (1)
-
Favorable with Amendments 283926/1 Adopted Adopted 2025-03-15
Topics and industries
Related topics
Affected industries
This page is general information, not legal advice. Summaries are AI-assisted and may contain errors; read the statute for the controlling text and talk to a lawyer about your situation. Full disclaimer · Report an error