Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway
JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has joined 14 other state attorneys general in urging Congress to pass the Safe Access to Cash Act, legislation intended to establish clearer federal penalties for crimes involving automated teller machines and give law enforcement additional tools against organized criminal networks that target ATMs across jurisdictions.
In an Aug. 6 letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the attorneys general expressed support for the Safe Access to Cash Act, identified as S. 3798 and H.R. 1631.
The coalition called on Congress to pass what it described as needed public-safety legislation without delay.
The letter says ATMs are a critical part of the nation’s financial infrastructure, providing consumers with immediate access to cash, supporting small businesses and serving communities where bank branches may be limited or unavailable.
The attorneys general said safe access to ATMs is a necessity for many seniors, rural residents, underbanked consumers and households that prefer to use cash.
According to the coalition, criminals are increasingly targeting ATMs, particularly standalone and off-premises machines in convenience stores, gas stations, grocery stores, malls and other public locations.
The crimes can include theft, destruction or attempted removal of entire ATM units, as well as assaults on customers or service personnel and coordinated criminal activity spanning city, county and state lines.
Current federal law provides strong penalties for robberies involving banks and financial institutions, the letter states, but does not provide the same consistent protection for all ATMs, especially those located away from bank branches.
The attorneys general argued that the distinction no longer reflects the way Americans access cash, writing that the “bank vault” has moved into retail stores, gas stations and community locations nationwide.
The Safe Access to Cash Act would address that gap by ensuring that ATM crimes are subject to appropriate federal penalties regardless of whether a machine is located on the physical premises of a financial institution, according to the letter.
The measure would provide law enforcement and prosecutors with clearer tools to pursue organized criminal networks that target ATMs and operate across jurisdictional boundaries.
The attorneys general said the legislation would complement, rather than replace, the work of state and local law enforcement.
State attorneys general and local prosecutors would continue to have a central role in addressing theft, robbery, assault and property crimes, the letter said.
But the coalition argued that federal law should provide a clear and consistent prosecution framework when ATM crimes involve interstate conduct, organized criminal networks or repeated attacks in multiple jurisdictions.
The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced the Safe Access to Cash Act, the letter says, a move the coalition described as recognition that protecting ATMs is not a partisan issue.
The attorneys general said passage of the bill would help protect consumers, small businesses, ATM operators, cash-in-transit workers, first responders and communities that rely on access to cash.
Georgia Attorney General Christopher M. Carr led the letter, which was also signed by attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia.
The letter was copied to the chairs and ranking members of the Senate and House Judiciary committees.
The coalition said congressional action would send a clear message that criminal networks will not be allowed to exploit what the attorneys general characterized as outdated gaps in federal law.
