PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 26, 2025
Safe Access to Cash Act of 2025
This bill specifies that robbery offenses involving ATMs and related cash constitute crimes under the federal bank robbery statute.
Currently, the federal bank robbery statute makes it a federal crime to take or attempt to take, by force and violence or by intimidation, money or other property belonging to or in the care, custody, control, management, or possession of any bank, credit union, or savings and loan association.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
However, federal circuit courts have split on whether forcing someone to withdraw money from an ATM constitutes an offense under the federal bank robbery statute. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has held that directly forcing a bank customer to withdraw money from an ATM does not constitute a federal bank robbery because the funds were in the possession of the customer, not the bank. In contrast, the Tenth and Seventh Circuits have held that directly forcing a bank customer to withdraw money from an ATM constitutes a federal bank robbery because the funds belonged to the bank when the withdrawal occurred.
This bill specifies that for purposes of the federal bank robbery statute, an ATM and any cash in transit to, being loaded into, or being unloaded from an ATM is in the care, custody, control, management, or possession of, any bank, credit union, or any savings and loan association, regardless of whether the ATM is located on the physical premises of such an institution or owned or operated by such an institution.
People & committees
Rep. Rose, John W. [R-TN-6] · R–TN
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 19, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-26 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The bill proposes treating covered cash machines (ATMs), and cash being transported to, loaded into or unloaded from them, as being under a bank, credit union or savings and loan association’s control for purposes of the law it amends. This would apply even when a machine is away from the institution’s premises or owned or operated by someone else.
Section 2113 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
(j) For purposes of this section, an ATM, and any cash that is in transit to or being loaded into or unloaded from an ATM, shall be considered in the care, custody, control, management, or possession of, any bank, credit union, or any savings and loan association, regardless of whether— (1) the ATM is located on the physical premises of such an institution; or (2) the ATM is owned or operated by such an institution.
Section 1 would name the bill the Safe Access to Cash Act of 2025.
This Act may be cited as the Safe Access to Cash Act of 2025.
Section 2 would define an ATM to cover terminals connected to global, national or regional financial networks that let depositors withdraw money, deposit money or check balances using an institution-issued or authorized card or other qualifying access device. The definition also expressly includes ATMs owned, operated or sponsored by banks, credit unions or savings and loan associations.
(i) The term ATM means any network-connected automated teller machine terminal that is connected to one or more of the global, national, or regional electronic financial networks that allow a depositor of any bank, credit union, or savings and loan association, by use at such ATM of a card or other access device, as defined in subsection (e)(1) of section 1029 of this title, issued or authorized by such depository institution, to access such depositor’s account for the purpose of making withdrawals from or deposits to such account, or making inquiry as to the balance in such account, and includes any ATM owned, operated, or sponsored by a bank, credit union, or any savings and loan association.
Section 2 would add a mandatory legal rule treating covered ATMs and the specified cash as being in a financial institution’s care or control for purposes of section 2113. Neither location away from the institution’s premises nor ownership or operation by another party would prevent that treatment.
Section 2113 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
(j) For purposes of this section, an ATM, and any cash that is in transit to or being loaded into or unloaded from an ATM, shall be considered in the care, custody, control, management, or possession of, any bank, credit union, or any savings and loan association, regardless of whether— (1) the ATM is located on the physical premises of such an institution; or (2) the ATM is owned or operated by such an institution.
The supplied September 19, 2026 source snapshot records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on the Judiciary on February 26, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-19T23:18:17Z. 2025-02-26: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. 2025-02-26: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-26. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; accompanying earmark disclosures and committee materials were not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption or preferential treatment was identified in the complete supplied introduced text under the requested definition. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 19, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI