PASSED: Kustoff Bill to Replace Checks Stolen in the Mail Passed by the House of Representatives

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House of Representatives unanimously passed, H.R. 1155, the Recovery of Stolen Checks Act, introduced by Reps. David Kustoff (R-TN), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), and Terri Sewell (D-AL). This bipartisan legislation would give victims of mail theft the option to receive their payment from the Department of Treasury electronically.
 
Click here to watch Congressman Kustoff remarks during debate or read them as prepared below:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. 
 
And I do want to thank Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) for his leadership on this issue and this important piece of legislation, as well as the leadership of Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) and Terri Sewell (D-AL). 
 
Over the last several years, the number of government checks stolen from the mail has increased dramatically. 
 
If I could, I would like to share a few statistics: 

• Between 2019 and 2022 there was an 87% increase in theft from mailboxes, according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
• According to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), reports of check fraud doubled from 2021 to 2022.
• FinCen’s most recent report on check fraud (published September 2024) found that between February to August 2023, the bureau received 15,417 individual reports about mail theft-related check fraud.

This has been an ongoing problem in my district in West Tennessee, as it has been throughout the country. It is well past time that we get mail theft in the United States under control.
 
That starts with giving federal law enforcement officers the tools and resources they need to detect, investigate, and prosecute the criminals behind these thefts.
 
We also have to ensure that victims of mail theft are taken care of, and that they can access timely relief.

That's why this bill H.R. 1155, the Recovery of Stolen Checks Act, is so important.
 
Right now, it can take up to four months for the IRS to issue a replacement for a stolen check. That’s a long time. 
 
And due to the sheer frequency of mail theft that is happening right now, many taxpayers are having their replacement checks get stolen as well. 
 
This is truly unacceptable - and outdated IRS regulations are partially to blame.
 
Frankly, the IRS’s current process makes no sense.
 
It exacerbates check fraud, it creates more bureaucratic hurdles for U.S. taxpayers, and it ultimately makes it more difficult for Americans to access their hard-earned dollars.
 
For many American families, a delay in getting their tax refund has the potential to cause serious financial strain. 
 
The Recovery of Stolen Checks Act will give victims of mail theft the option to receive their replacement payment through direct deposit, instead of having to risk mailing another check.
 
This is a simple fix that will help expedite relief to affected taxpayers, keep government checks out of the hands of criminals, and ultimately make our government more efficient.
 
I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan, commonsense piece of legislation which passed out of the Ways and Means Committee unanimously by a vote of 41 to 0.
 
 
The Recovery of Stolen Checks Act passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Ways and Means on February 12, 2025. Click here for the full text of the bill. 
 

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