BILL TO PREVENT CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFT WINS COMMITTEE APPROVAL

DENVER, CO – The House Energy and Environment Committee today unanimously approved SB22-009, legislation sponsored by Representatives Shannon Bird and Adrienne Benavidez to prevent catalytic converter thefts.

“This bill will help prevent the catalytic converter thefts that are happening nearly every day in our communities by giving law enforcement new tools to crack down on the marketplace for stolen parts,” said Rep. Adrianne Benavidez, D-Commerce City. “This bill will make it harder to resell stolen catalytic converters and will help to close down the market for these illicitly acquired parts. By preventing catalytic converter thefts, we’ll make our communities safer and save Coloradans money and time spent replacing these expensive parts.”

“By reducing the market for stolen catalytic converters, we’ll prevent these crimes that are costing Coloradans thousands of dollars,” said Rep. Shannon Bird, D-Westminster. “This bill is a smart approach to crack down on catalytic converter thefts and the illicit market for these expensive, but critical, parts.”

SB22-009 would prevent catalytic converter thefts by making it harder to resell stolen catalytic converters. It would require owners and dealers of catalytic converters to register all transactions of the part and to comply with regulations regarding transactions of commodity metals, including current laws addressing the theft of commodity metals. The bill adds catalytic converters to the definition of a “major component motor vehicle part” when it comes to Colorado laws prohibiting “chop shops.” The bill requires anyone who acquires five or more vehicles in a 12 month period that they plan to dismantle for parts to report these acquisitions to the motor vehicle title information system to ensure that they are not stolen.

Two other bills also addressing stolen and tampered catalytic converters are working their way through the legislature, SB22-179 and HB22-1217