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House adopts pawnbroker reporting changes to aid recovery of stolen property
Summary
House Bill 85 tightens pawnbroker recordkeeping, requires electronic reporting for high-volume dealers, and adds procedural protections for pawnbrokers; the House adopted amendments to limit upgrade burdens and passed the bill 66-3.
House Bill 85, aimed at improving tracking and recovery of stolen property, passed the Utah House Feb. 15 after floor amendments clarifying electronic-reporting and investigatory procedures.
Representative Nora V. Stevens, who introduced the bill, said it requires pawnbrokers to keep registers with item descriptions and customer details and to transmit that information to local law enforcement; high-volume dealers (50 or more monthly transactions) would be required to maintain electronic records, and non-electronic reports could carry a $1 fee per transaction to offset law-enforcement data-entry costs. "This is an important piece of legislation to shut down the practice of some people in this state who make their living by stealing property and then selling it," Stevens said.
Representative Swallow moved amendments to address pawnshops’ concerns about repeatedly upgrading computer systems to match law-enforcement changes, proposed limits on law-enforcement holds during investigations and asked for procedures ensuring pawnbrokers receive timely notice if investigations continue. Swallow described the changes as balancing law-enforcement needs with businesses’ property rights; Representative Bennion proposed a substitute motion to adjust upgrade language but it failed and the floor adopted the amendments as amended.
After debate and amendment adoption, the House passed HB 85 with 66 yes votes and 3 no votes; the bill will now go to the Senate for further action.
