Texas House bill to strengthen payment card fraud prosecutions passes Senate committee

HB 2624 by Rep. Mary Ann Perez (D-Houston)/Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) was approved by the House on April 25 and moved to the Senate. Following a May 8 hearing in the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, the bill, supported by the Texas Credit Union Association, was reported out of committee and has been placed on the Senate intent calendar.

The bill allows prosecution of debit and credit card fraud in any county where the fraud was committed or in the county of residence of the victim of the fraud, making it easier for victims to testify at trial in their home county rather than traveling to another county if the fraud occurred elsewhere.

HB 2624 also allows prosecution of the case without requiring that the prosecutor prove that the act was committed with intent to defraud any particular person.

Contact Jeff Huffman, Texas Credit Union Association, at 469-385-6488 or [email protected] for more information.