by Alex Lloyd Gross
No one likes to get into their vehicle and find that a thief stle thier cata;lytic converter. In fact, some people who have caught a thief in the act have beaten the thief so badly they needed to be in the hospital. Others have killed the thief. The sale of these converters has driven the theft up by record numbers. Now Pa Senator Frank Farry (R-Bucks) is targeting those that buy stolen converters with new legislation.
Under this new legislation, the following will be illegal to sell:
- New production scrap or new materials that are a part of a manufacturing process that are being sold by an individual, not a company.
- Full sized, new materials, including those used in construction, or equipment and tools used by contractors.
- Commercial metal property.
- Metallic wire that has been burned in whole or in part to remove insulation, unless the aggregate value is less than $100.
- Beer kegs.
- Detached catalytic converters.
- Railroad materials, Should someone be skilled enough to work on cars, they can sell their own converter as long as they provide their information taken, photograph, and information from the vehicle they took it from.
Some people who are victims of having their catalytic converters stolen think the bill does not go fer enough. This bill does not include mandatory jail time. Sellers that violate this are looking at misdemeanor charges only.
This bill Senate Bill 914 repeals the Scrap Metal Theft Prevention Act and moves the requirements to Title 18, the Crimes Code. Title 18 requires scrap processors and recycling facilities to collect buyer information, set commercial-account rules, restrict purchases of certain materials and create penalties – giving law enforcement and prosecutors stronger tools to investigate, track and prosecute catalytic converter thefts.
“Catalytic converter thefts have become a major problem in communities across the state,” Farry said. “One of my top priorities is keeping our communities safe, and this bill gives law enforcement and prosecutors stronger tools to charge and convict those responsible for these crimes.”
Those unscrupulous dealers that choose to hand out cash and not do the proper paperwork will get fines and other charges for lying on official paperwork.
The state senate passed this legislation. It now moves to the house for it’s consideration.