The House of Representatives recently voted in favor of harsher penalties for bad check writers. If a check of more than $500 goes bad, the checkwriter may face a felony charge. Even if the check is for $250, the writer could still face a gross misdemeanor charge.
Representative Rich Stanek authors the bill and he believes it will provide merchants needed protection. But, as every bill does, this bill has opponents and they are worried that the bill will mistakenly punish otherwise law-abiding citizens who are sloppy record keepers.
But Stanek seems to understand, as most in the industry do, that most NSF checks are not the result of criminal acts or forgers, but rather errors in checkbooks or shopping ahead of a paycheck. With that in mind, the bill includes a diversion program that "select" offenders complete to avoid punishment. The program, which would deal with money management, would also require the offender to reimburse the merchant, pay the bank fees, and pay for the program.
What chance does this bill have? Well, the Senate recently passed a similar bill with minor differences, so weíd say the chances are looking pretty good.
