Committee advances bill tightening rules for catalytic-converter sales, requires recycler registration

Senator Hatchett, a sponsor of Senate Bill 40 (LC 620107S), told the Regulated Industries Committee that the bill would refine recent changes to state law intended to curb catalytic-converter theft and add registration requirements for secondary metal recyclers.

The bill moves an existing definition to a more appropriate code section, clarifies what a secondary metal recycler may and may not pay in cash for used catalytic converters, and requires a secondary metal recycler to register with the sheriff's office in the county where the recycler maintains a physical brick-and-mortar location. Under the measure, the registration fee is $200 and the sheriff is to forward $100 (50% of the fee) to the Sheriff's Association's secondary metal recycler registry, Senator Hatchett said.

"Since that time, catalytic converter theft across the state has just shot down," Senator Hatchett said, describing earlier statutory changes that let prosecutors charge possession of an attached used catalytic converter when ownership cannot be proved. He said the new bill is a "cleanup" responding to sheriff and prosecutor feedback and is largely the same measure the committee considered last year.

Committee members discussed a technical amendment to the bill's language that would broaden a cross-reference to federal law. Members agreed to replace a reference to "applicable federal Clean Air Act regulations" with language reading "applicable federal Clean Air Act regulations and other federal laws" to ensure other federal pollution or safety rules that may apply to catalytic converters are covered.

The committee took a voice vote on an amendment and then voted by voice to move the bill forward to a committee subcommittee. Committee members said the vote on the amendment and the bill was unanimous by voice; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.

The bill sponsor and staff said the measure does not change the substance of last year's proposal except that the earlier sunset provision has been removed.

Votes at the meeting were conducted by voice; the transcript shows motions to amend and to pass and a subsequent motion referring the bill to a committee subcommittee. The committee chair confirmed the motion carried by voice vote and the item was sent forward for committee subcommittee consideration.

Context and next steps: Committee members said the measure had passed committee last year before being amended during rules consideration; they intend the revised language and the registration requirement to address law-enforcement concerns. The transcript does not record a roll-call vote or specify a date for the committee subcommittee consideration.