Sponsors (11)
The bill strengthens federal protection and deterrence against interstate package theft—benefiting consumers and carriers—but does so by expanding federal involvement and jurisdiction, which raises costs and uncertainty for states, businesses, defendants, and taxpayers.
Consumers who receive deliveries (renters, homeowners, online shoppers, small businesses) gain stronger federal protections and clearer remedies against package theft by private interstate carriers, likely reducing lost property and theft-related harm.
Federal law enforcement (DOJ) has clearer authority to investigate and prosecute interstate package theft, improving deterrence and cross‑state coordination against organized or repeat offenders.
Private and commercial carriers and shippers may face fewer losses and have clearer federal remedies for stolen shipments moved across state lines, reducing business disruptions and recovery uncertainty.
State governments, carriers, and businesses will face greater federal involvement and uncertainty—raising compliance burdens, increasing interactions with federal investigators, and signaling possible future federal rules that could increase costs.
People accused of package theft (including low-level offenders) may be prosecuted in federal court under expanded jurisdiction and thus face potentially harsher federal penalties where the matter previously would have been handled by state authorities.
Expanding federal criminal jurisdiction is likely to increase federal prosecutions and related court costs, imposing additional expenses on taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Expands the federal statute against mail theft to cover theft/embezzlement of packages delivered by private or commercial interstate carriers before recipients take possession.
Expands federal criminal law to make theft, embezzlement, carrying away, or obtaining by fraud/deception of packages covered by private or commercial interstate carriers a federal offense when the package has been delivered but not yet taken into the addressee's physical possession. It also includes a short title and a non‑binding statement that Congress may extend existing protections for mail to private interstate carriers. The bill modifies the existing federal statute that covers theft of maillike items so it expressly reaches packages delivered by private/commercial interstate carriers, closing a gap where some package thefts could fall outside federal jurisdiction.
Official title: To amend title 18, United States Code, to extend to matter left for collection by private or commercial interstate carriers the same protections as matter carried throughout the country as interstate or foreign commerce.
Introduced December 23, 2025 by Josh S. Gottheimer · Last progress December 23, 2025