Catalytic converter bill passes Senate

The Arkansas Senate on Wednesday approved a bill that aims to make the “unauthorized possession of a catalytic converter” a felony and increase penalties for the theft of a catalytic converter.

The Senate voted 32-0 to send House Bill 1365 by Rep. Mike Holcomb, R-Pine Bluff, to the governor.

Sen. Ben Gilmore, R-Crossett, the bill’s Senate sponsor, said there has been an increase in the theft of catalytic converters from vehicles and the bill is designed to reduce the frequency of the thefts.

Under HB1365, a person could be charged with a crime if the person knowingly “possesses a catalytic converter that has been removed from a motor vehicle and that is not permanently marked.” The measure would not apply if the person is the owner of the vehicle from which the converter was removed or possesses the converter in the “ordinary course” of their business.

A converter would have to be marked with the date it was removed from the vehicle and the identification number of the vehicle. The bill lists several businesses, including scrap metal recyclers, towing companies and used automotive parts recyclers that may normally possess catalytic converters.

The theft of a catalytic converter would be a Class C felony under the bill.

“Unauthorized possession of a catalytic converter” would be a Class C felony if the person has been convicted of the offense before or if the person also “commits or attempts, conspires, or solicits another person to commit an offense related to a catalytic converter.” Otherwise, the offense would be a Class D felony, under the bill.

The bill also would require scrap metal recyclers to register with county sheriffs and maintain records of used catalytic converter purchases like other buyers of used catalytic converters.