As the last-minute Christmas shopping season peaks, one Alabama lawmaker is preparing to crack down on a crime that has plagued nearly half of doorsteps across the nation.

State Sen. April Weaver announced on Wednesday her intention to reintroduce legislation during the 2025 regular session that would make “porch piracy” — the theft of deliveries from residential doorsteps — a felony offense in Alabama, carrying penalties of up to 20 years in prison.

“Video doorbells and other affordable home security devices have helped fight crime, but a simple Google news or YouTube search of the term ‘porch pirates’ reveals thefts at Christmas remain a serious, ongoing, and growing problem,” Weaver (R-Brierfield) said. “The Grinches among us are still trying to steal Christmas, but perhaps a 20-year prison sentence in Alabama will give their hearts plenty of time to grow three sizes.”

If Weaver’s bill is enacted, Alabama would become the twelfth state in the nation to approve a legislative measure specifically targeting the porch piracy practice. States already taking action include Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas.

RELATED: Alabama lawmaker pushes for strict crackdown on ‘porch pirates’

The legislation specifically adds “any item mailed or shipped to another person” to those that fall under Alabama’s existing theft of property statute and sets out a specific range of penalties based upon the value of the packages that are stolen.

The range of charges and penalties established by the newly proposed law are as follows:

• Theft of Property First Degree: Theft of packages with a value exceeding $2,500 (Class B felony, punishable by 2 to 20 years of incarceration).
• Theft of Property Second Degree: Theft of packages with a value between $1,500 and $2,500 (Class C felony, punishable by 1 to 10 years of incarceration).
• Theft of Property Third Degree: Theft of packages with a value between $500 and $1,499 (Class D felony, punishable by 1 to 5 years of incarceration).
• Misdemeanor Theft: Theft of packages with a value up to $500 (punishable by up to 1 year of incarceration).

A nationwide study commissioned in September by the ValuePenguin personal finance website indicated that roughly 41% of Americans have been the victims of porch piracy, and about 25% report they have had a package stolen within the past year. 27% than a quarter of victims said they have had three or more packages stolen, and about 63% say the packages taken originated from Amazon or Walmart. About 16% of items stolen from doorways and porches were meal and grocery deliveries.

Weaver first introduced the proposal during the 2024 legislative session. She will make the case to lawmakers again when they reconvene for the 2025 session in February.