HB 159 Maryland House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Mail Theft

HB 159 proposes to amend Maryland law regarding mail theft by creating new prohibitions on stealing mail or packages under specific circumstances. The bill establishes two new sections (3-905 and 3-905.1) in the Criminal Law Article, defining prohibited acts and penalties for mail theft. It also clarifies that violations of these new provisions will be tried in District Court or Circuit Court, depending on the offense severity. This bill directly affects individuals who steal or possess stolen mail or packages, and it is currently pending in the Maryland General Assembly.

Issues: ✗ Criminal Justice

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Oct 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House of Delegates Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Oct 17, 2025 Last action Mar 23, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Mail Theft → Third - Mail Theft · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill primarily involves formatting and structural changes to the legislative document rather than substantive policy changes. The bill's title, bill number, and procedural status were updated to reflect its progression through the legislative process, while the actual text of the law regarding mail theft jurisdiction remains unchanged.

TECHNICAL

Added committee report status showing the bill was favorably reported and adopted by the House, with a second reading date of March 9, 2026.

Updated the bill header information to reflect current filing status and procedural milestones.

Changed the chapter designation from 'A BILL ENTITLED' to 'CHAPTER ______' to indicate the bill has progressed to a later stage in the legislative process.

Added explanatory notes about formatting conventions used in the bill text (capital letters for additions, brackets for deletions, underlining for amendments).

Floor votes · House of Delegates Mar 11, 2026

How they voted

131–0

Passed · 11 other

Total votes 142

Mar 11, 2026

D Democratic103

96 Yea 7

93% Yea

R Republican39

35 Yea 4

89% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 23, 2026

Committee

Referred Judicial Proceedings

upper

Mar 23, 2026

Lower · Passed

Third Reading Passed

lower

Mar 21, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable Adopted Second Reading Passed

lower

Mar 21, 2026

Lower · Passed

Favorable Report by Judiciary

lower

Mar 11, 2026

House Of Delegates · Passed

House of Delegates Vote: pass (131-0-11)

house of delegates

Jan 14, 2026

Committee

First Reading Judiciary

lower

Oct 17, 2025

Introduced

Pre-filed

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors