HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania State Sen. Mike Waugh (R-Shrewsbury) introduced a bill that would impose harsher penalties for people convicted of robbing credit unions and banks. Under Waugh's measure, the classification for robbery of a credit union or bank would automatically raise to a first-degree felony, with a minimum of 10 years in prison. The crime is currently considered a third-degree felony with a minimum seven years. According to Waugh's office, there's been an increase of 20 bank and credit union robberies per year in Pennsylvania since 2001 - there were 393 in 2004, and so far in 2005 there's been 420.
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