Texas Senate bill by Sen. Flores increases penalties for stolen check offenses

Passed bill authored by State Sen. Peter P. Flores seeks to increase the criminal penalty for offenses involving stolen checks to a state jail felony, aiming to strengthen legal consequences and deter such crimes, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the Senate, nine Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while two Democrats opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the House, 15 Democrats and 81 Republicans voted in favor, while 39 Democrats voted against it.

Peter P. Flores introduced the bill in the Texas Senate on Wednesday, Feb. 19, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Flores graduated from Texas A&M University in 1983 with a BS.

Flores, a Republican, was elected to the Texas State Senate in 2023 to represent the state’s 24th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Dawn Buckingham.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to increasing the criminal penalty for the offense of stealing or receiving a stolen check or similar sight order’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, the bill amends Section 32.24(b) of the Penal Code to increase the criminal penalty for the offense of stealing or receiving a stolen check or similar sight order to a state jail felony. The revised penalty applies to offenses committed on or after the effective date of Sept. 1, 2025. Offenses committed before this date remain subject to the current law as it existed when the offense was committed, ensuring continuity of legal processes. The amendment aims to intensify repercussions for these specific crimes, likely in a bid to deter such offenses.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Friday, May 23, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, June 20.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.