Georgia House committee approves bill to crack down on catalytic converter thieves
Georgia legislators push for law aimed to decrease catalytic converter thefts
The Georgia House Motor Vehicles Committee unanimously passed a bill aimed at the theft of catalytic converters. If the bill becomes a law, it would become illegal for anyone other than a registered metals recycler to possess a detached catalytic convertor.
ATLANTA - A Georgia House committee unanimously approved a bill Thursday that lawmakers believe will help the state go after thieves who steal catalytic converters.
"It's been a serious issue all over the metro Atlanta area," said state Rep. Martin Momtahan, R-Dallas.
Rep. Momtahan said crooks can crawl under a vehicle and cut the catalytic converter off in just minutes. He explained that many Georgians have reported parking their cars, going into a store and coming out to find themselves victims.
The thieves then sell the stolen part for scrap, often out of state.
Under Rep. Momtahan's legislation, it would be illegal for anyone other than a registered metal recycler to buy, sell, possess or transport a detached catalytic converter in Georgia.
"Right now we've got pretty stringent precious metal laws in the State of Georgia, but we don't have anything that really addresses the bad actors themselves and so the biggest change from previous law--Title 10--to this law today is that we're addressing the bad actors--the folks that are crawling up under your cars in the shopping malls and they're cutting these things off," Rep. Momtahan explained.
The bill would classify every detached catalytic converter as a separate crime.
Suspects would be charged with a misdemeanor for their first offense, a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature for their second offense and a felony for their third offense.
Anyone convicted could face as much as 1 to 10 years in jail and the forfeiture of any vehicle used in the crime.
The bill now heads to the House Rules Committee, which will determine if and when it goes to the House floor for a vote.
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