House Bill 1744 (read 1/30/25) proposes multiple statutory changes to deter criminal conduct involving gift cards. It replaces and expands the definitions in RCW 9A.56.010, adds new sections to chapters 9A.56 and 9A.60 RCW, amends RCW 9A.60.020 (forgery), and reenacts and amends the sentencing seriousness-level table in RCW 9.94A.515. The bill creates new criminal offenses and changes how existing offenses treat gift-card conduct. It creates "theft of a gift card" and "unlawful use of a gift card" when a person, with intent to defraud, acquires, retains, or uses a gift card or gift card redemption information without consent. Penalties are tiered by the value involved: a class B felony if value exceeds $5,000; a class C felony if value exceeds $750 but does not exceed $5,000; and a gross misdemeanor if value does not exceed $750. The bill also creates "gift card fraud," defined as devising a scheme to obtain a gift card or gift card redemption information by false or fraudulent pretenses, as a class C felony. RCW 9A.60.020 (forgery) is expanded to include altering or tampering with a gift card or gift card redemption information and states forgery is a class C felony; identity-theft proceedings are treated as committed in any locality where the victim resides or where any part of the offense occurred. The bill adds specific gift-card definitions (cardholder, card issuer, closed-loop and open-loop gift cards, gift card redemption information, and gift card seller) and amends the statutory "value" rules to treat the value of a gift card or its redemption information as the greatest amount of economic loss the owner might reasonably suffer, including full face value and potential value for open-loop cards. Section 1 also replaces a range of other theft-related definitions (for example, access device, mailbox, vulnerable adult). The record provided is incomplete in places: one definition in RCW 9A.56.010 is cut off, the exact new section numbers or placement within the chapters are not shown, the sentencing table listing continues beyond the excerpt, and no effective dates or implementation deadlines are included.

If enacted, the bill makes it easier for prosecutors to file specific theft, unlawful-use, and fraud charges tied to gift cards and to treat tampering with gift cards as forgery, with penalties that rise as the financial loss grows. Practically, people who take, use, or obtain gift card information by deception will face a higher risk of felony charges when losses are larger, increasing the chance of felony convictions and harsher sentences for serious schemes. The groups most affected are cardholders, card issuers, gift card sellers, and retailers: victims of gift card crime would have clearer legal remedies and prosecutors clearer charging options, while retailers and issuers may see some deterrence and reduced losses but also may need to coordinate more with law enforcement. The criminal justice system is likely to handle more prosecutions and convictions for gift-card-related crimes, which could raise enforcement and incarceration costs; the bill also identifies vulnerable adults for protection. Key implementation details and exact placement in the sentencing table, some definitions, and any effective dates are not included in the provided text, so timing and some sentencing consequences remain uncertain.