The bill creates new criminal offenses and changes existing criminal statutes related to gift cards, and it amends definitions used in Washington theft and related statutes. It adds new theft-of-a-gift-card and unlawful-use-of-a-gift-card offenses with three degrees based on the value involved: first degree (value over $5,000) as a class B felony, second degree (value over $750 up to $5,000) as a class C felony, and third degree (value $750 or less) as a gross misdemeanor. The bill also adds a new gift card fraud offense—devising a scheme to obtain a gift card or gift card redemption information by false pretenses—which is a class C felony. The forgery statute is amended to include altering or tampering with a gift card or gift card redemption information and continues to be a class C felony. The bill amends RCW 9A.56.010 to add and revise many definitions including “access device,” “gift card,” “gift card redemption information,” “card issuer,” “closed-loop” and “open-loop” gift cards, and a valuation rule that treats gift cards’ value as the greatest amount of economic loss the owner might reasonably suffer (including full face value or potential value for open-loop cards). It reenacts and amends RCW 9.94A.515 to update the sentencing table (Table 2) to reflect seriousness levels that incorporate the new or amended offenses. The act also adds new sections to chapters 9A.56 and 9A.60 RCW and amends RCW 9A.60.020 (forgery). The provided material is incomplete in places: the definition of “cardholder” is truncated; the exact new section numbers added to chapters 9A.56 and 9A.60 are not given; the full amended text of RCW 9A.60.020 and the complete reenacted RCW 9.94A.515 Table 2 are not included; and portions of the bill text appear only partially in the extracts. These omissions prevent a full accounting of all statutory changes or all cross-references in the sentencing table.

If enacted, the bill creates specific crimes for stealing, using, altering, or scheming to get gift cards and sets clear dollar thresholds that move these acts from gross misdemeanors up to class B or C felonies depending on value. It also expands how loss is measured for gift cards (including full face or potential value for open‑loop cards) and allows multiple related thefts in a short span to be combined when deciding value, so people who take or tamper with many cards or redeem codes can face more serious charges than under a looser theft standard. Those most affected are people who commit gift card theft or fraud (who now face higher criminal exposure), card issuers and merchants (who have clearer statutory definitions and stronger grounds for prosecution), and cardholders who may have better legal recourse. Prosecutors, law enforcement, and courts will use new charging options and the amended sentencing table, which may increase felony filings, but the bill text here omits the full amended sentencing table, the exact new section numbers, and full details of the forgery amendment, so some implementation and procedural effects remain unclear.