Proposed legislation would require vehicle identification numbers to be put on catalytic converters

A Missouri representative recently proposed legislation that would require that before catalytic converters can be sold as scrap, the vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle it came from would have to be recorded by the dealer purchasing it. Hardy Billington, who represents District 152 in the Missouri State House, filed the legislation on Wednesday, Dec. 1.
Billington’s proposed legislation would amend the state’s current law regarding the sale of recyclable metal. Currently, merchants who purchase scrap metal for profit are required to keep a register that holds a “written or electronic record” for each transaction in which certain recyclable metals are purchased. These include: copper, brass and bronze, aluminum in various forms (wire, tubing, ingots, pipe, etc.), material used for farming purposes that contains copper or aluminum, motor vehicles, tractor batteries, heavy equipment and detached catalytic converters. Billington’s bill would amend the law so that merchants would also have to record the VIN of the vehicle.  It adds the following sentence to the law: “If the transaction includes a catalytic converter, the vehicle identification number of the vehicle from which the catalytic converter was removed (must be recorded).”
The law would retain its current penalties for scrap dealers who knowingly purchase stolen catalytic converters. The first offense would result in a $5,000 fine, a second offense would result in a $10,000 fine, and a third offense would result in the revocation of the dealer’s license.
If the bill becomes law, it would go into effect on Aug. 28, 2022. Currently, there are no actions scheduled in concerning it.
The bill is proposed at a time when thefts of catalytic converters appear to be on the rise. It was recently reported that over 100 catalytic converters, worth about $60,000, were found in a Joplin house. It was believed that the converters were originally stolen, and that the resident of the house purchased them illegally. Last month, 190 catalytic converters and 67 weapons were seized from a Rogersville home during a raid, resulting in the arrest of at least one person. And in October, Ronald Neal Willis, 44, of Aurora, was charged with the thefts of five catalytic converters from two Republic businesses.
Billington’s proposed legislation is not the only bill he has sponsored regarding the theft of the auto part. Earlier this year, he sponsored one which upgraded the stealing of catalytic converters to a Class E felony. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Mike Parson in July.