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HB 1779

Appropriation; Delta Health System for mammography equipment and replacing hospital infrastructure.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Willie Bailey and 1 co-sponsor

Arkansas HB 1779 adds postal-package theft from home curtilage or delivery routes as Class C and D felonies, boosting penalties.

Died In Committee
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Bill Summary · HB 1779

Summary — HB 1779 (as provided)

Note on sources and scope
- The materials supplied appear to combine multiple, different bills that share the number HB 1779 (one from Arkansas and one from Illinois) and an unrelated bill-title line (an appropriation for Delta Health System). This summary focuses on the principal bill text included in the packet (an Arkansas enactment amending theft statutes). Where procedural records conflict, both tracks are noted below.

Main purpose / intent

The primary bill text amends Arkansas criminal law (Ark. Code § 5-36-103) to treat the theft of postal packages—specifically packages removed from the curtilage of a residential occupiable structure or removed from a delivery vehicle during the delivery route—as an enhanced theft offense, placing such conduct within the enumerated felony classifications.

Key provisions and changes

  • Amends Arkansas Code § 5-36-103(b), which lists theft-of-property offenses that qualify as Class C and Class D felonies.
  • Adds language in two places to include:
    • Class C felony list (subsection (2)(G)): “The property is a postal package removed from the curtilage of a residential occupiable structure or from a delivery vehicle at any point throughout the delivery route;”
    • Class D felony list (subsection (3)(I)): identical language is also added under the Class D list.
  • The bill also carries a Senate amendment (Amendment S1) that adds Senator Gilmore as a cosponsor of Representative Gazaway’s bill.

Note on statutory placement: The text as engrossed inserts the postal-package language into both the Class C and Class D enumerations. How an individual theft would be classified (C vs D) will depend on the existing statute’s other criteria (value, other aggravating facts) and prosecutorial charging choices.

Who/what would be affected

  • Individuals who steal mailed or delivered packages left at residences or removed from delivery vehicles would face enhanced felony exposure under Arkansas theft statutes.
  • Law enforcement, prosecutors, public defenders, and courts in Arkansas would see the legal change applied in charging, plea negotiation, and sentencing.
  • Residents, delivery-service personnel, and postal services could be indirectly affected through enforcement and deterrence outcomes.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Bill sponsor(s): Rep. Gazaway; Senate cosponsor added: Sen. Gilmore.
  • The engrossed bill text is stamped S4/8/25 (April 8, 2025).
  • The legislative action record provided is inconsistent: some entries indicate committee referrals and readings, and later entries show actions consistent with passage/enrollment (e.g., “Read the third time and passed,” “Correctly enrolled and ordered transmitted to the Governor’s Office,” and “Notification that HB1779 is now Act 833”). However, other records (and an Illinois HB1779 entry) indicate a different HB1779 died in committee.
  • Recommendation: consult the official Arkansas General Assembly and Arkansas Code updates and the Arkansas Secretary of State or legislative website to confirm final enactment status, effective date, and whether Act 833 corresponds to this text.

Potential practical impact

  • If applied as drafted, the amendment elevates many package-theft cases into felony territory—likely increasing potential penalties, prosecutorial attention, and the legal severity of convictions for porch- or delivery-route package theft.
  • The duplication of the postal-package language in both felony lists creates an ambiguity that could affect classification; implementation will depend on interpretation by prosecutors, courts, or later clarifying legislation.

If you want, I can:
- Check and confirm the final enacted status and effective date for the Arkansas bill (Act 833) using the Arkansas legislative website, or
- Produce a plain-language explainer of how the change would affect typical package-theft scenarios (including likely charge/sentence ranges under Arkansas law).

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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