The National ATM Council recently praised the effort by 15 state attorneys general that urged Congress to strengthen federal penalties for ATM robberies by passing the Safe Access to Cash Act (S. 3798/H.R. 1631).
Led by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, the coalition also included Steve Marshall (Alabama), Tim Griffin (Arkansas), Russell Coleman (Kentucky), Liz Murrill (Louisiana), Catherine Hanaway (Missouri), Austin Knudsen (Montana), Drew Rigley (North Dakota), Andy Wilson (Ohio), Dave Sunday (Pennsylvania), Alan Wilson (South Carolina), Marty Jackley (South Dakota), Jonathan Skrmetti (Tennessee), Derek Brown (Utah) and John McCuskey (West Virginia).
In part, their letter to Congressional leadership said: “ATMs are a critical part of the nation’s financial infrastructure. They provide consumers with immediate access to cash, support small businesses, and serve communities where bank branches may be limited or unavailable. For many seniors, rural residents, underbanked consumers, and cash-preferred households, safe access to ATMs is not just a convenience, it is a necessity.
“We recognize that criminals are increasingly targeting ATMs, particularly standalone and off-premises machines located in convenience stores, gas stations, grocery stores, malls, and other public locations. These crimes can involve the theft, destruction, or attempted removal of entire ATM units; assaults on customers or service personnel; and coordinated criminal activity that crosses city, county, and state lines. This is precisely the type of problem that warrants a clear federal law enforcement backstop.
“Current federal law provides strong penalties for robberies involving banks and financial institutions, but it does not provide the same consistent protection for all ATMs, particularly those located away from bank branches. That distinction no longer reflects how Americans access cash. The ‘bank vault’ has moved into retail stores, gas stations, and community locations across the country, and federal law should reflect that reality.
The Safe Access to Cash Act would help close this gap by ensuring that crimes involving ATMs are subject to appropriate federal penalties, regardless of whether the ATM is located on the physical premises of a financial institution. This would provide law enforcement and prosecutors with clearer tools to pursue organized criminal networks that target ATMs and move across jurisdictional boundaries.”
Click here to read the full letter, via the Georgia Office of the Attorney General.