Legislation to make mail theft a misdemeanor or felony at the state level cleared the Michigan Senate unanimously Thursday.

Senate Bills 23 and 24 would make mail theft a state crime, with the first offense resulting in a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail, up to a $500 fine or both. Subsequent offenses or cases where fraud is involved would carry harsher penalties and be classified as a felony, with the second offense punishable up to five years in jail, up to a $1,000 fine or both, and a third offense carrying up to $10 years, up to a $2,000 fine or both.

Theft of mail delivered by both public and private carriers would be covered by the legislation.

Stealing or tampering with mail is already a federal crime, but supporters of state-level penalties say enforcement is often limited to the most egregious cases and that the problem has gotten worse in recent years.

During a committee meeting on the bills earlier this month, Sen. Jim Runestad, the main sponsor of the package, told lawmakers there were 17,000 complaints of Amazon packages that were not received, 2,000 complaints of general mail theft, 400 reports of check theft and 200 reports of prescription drug mail theft statewide last year.

Runestad, R-White Lake, said Thursday the bills will give local law enforcement more options to track down and prosecute mail thieves.

“All of this has been escalating," he said. “From what prosecutors and law enforcement have conveyed to me, this is going to be the tool that they’re going to use to really put a dent in it.”

Sen. Peter Lucido, R-Shelby Twp., said larceny is larceny, “whether it’s mail or a kid’s Tonka toy,” and should be treated as such.

“I kind of like my packages where they’re supposed to be - on my porch, and not in somebody’s car leaving my porch,” he said.

The bills would need to be passed by the House and signed by the governor to become law.