Committee advances bill tightening rules for secondary metal recyclers and catalytic-converter payments

The Regulated Industries Committee advanced a bill aimed at refining rules for secondary metal recyclers, including a definition change for used catalytic converters, limits on cash payments and a change to how a $200 registration fee is split between counties and the state.

The measure moves a statutory definition for “used catalytic converter” from one code section to another, clarifies that secondary metal recyclers may pay up to $100 in cash twice per day for a qualifying item but may not pay cash for items such as copper wire, utility cable or batteries, and creates or maintains an online registry for recyclers supported by a $200 registration fee. Under the bill the registering county would retain $100 and $100 would be remitted to a state fund for the registry.

Committee members characterized the bill as a cleanup to prior anti-theft legislation that prosecutors and sheriffs used to curb metal theft. Committee discussion clarified that the bill is intended to fix drafting problems that previously caused the measure to be stripped from final legislation because of a conflict with judicial-pay language.

A committee member asked whether the bill narrows or broadens the felony-disclosure language tied to permitting; the bill as drafted changed a five‑year felony lookback provision from applying only to theft-related felonies to applying to any felony. That change was noted but not further amended in the hearing record.

After brief questions and clarifications about the county/state split of the $200 registration fee and the scope of cash‑payment prohibitions, a member moved the bill and a second was recorded. The committee approved the bill by voice vote.

The bill will proceed to the next stage of consideration in the legislature.