WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Josh Harder announced he is backing a bipartisan bill to fight catalytic converter theft in the Central Valley. The bipartisan bill, the Preventing Auto Recycling Thefts (PART) Act, will codify catalytic converter crimes as criminal offenses, enhance law enforcement officers’ abilities to track converters, and help stop black market converter sales. The theft of catalytic converters has become increasingly prevalent in the past two years, plaguing vehicle owners, scrap yards, and law enforcement officials in communities across the United States. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the number of reported catalytic converter thefts rose from 3,389 in 2019 to 14,433 in 2020 – an increase of over 325%.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office warned last summer that “catalytic converter thefts have spiked” in the Central Valley after seizing nearly 300 stolen catalytic converters in a single day. Modesto Police also warned last year that “Catalytic converter theft has been an ongoing issue in many communities” and offered new services to help residents keep their property safe.
“Everyone in the Valley knows that we’re seeing a rise in catalytic converter theft right now, and its past time we got out law enforcement officers the tools they need to fight back,” said Rep. Harder. “I’m proud to back this bipartisan bill so we can put the folks orchestrating these crimes behind bars and stop this theft from happening in the first place.”
Catalytic converters are car parts used to reduce the potency of toxic emissions from an internal combustion engine and is a component required in compliance with the Clean Air Act. These parts are constructed using precious metals such as rhodium, platinum, and palladium, and, depending on the price point for these metals, can be sold to scrap dealers for hundreds of dollars. Replacement of these parts can be very costly for vehicle owners, with many replacements ranging from $500 to $2,300. In some cases, the cost of a catalytic converter theft may even be enough for a total loss to a vehicle.
The PART Act seeks to reduce catalytic converter thefts by allowing law enforcement officers to link stolen parts to the vehicle from which they originate by requiring new vehicles to have a VIN number stamped onto the converter, creating a grant program through which entities can stamp VIN numbers onto catalytic converters of existing vehicles, improving record keeping standards for purchasers of used catalytic converters, and establishing enforceability of laws around catalytic converter theft by codifying these crimes as a criminal offense.
The legislation has been endorsed by the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), National Sheriff's Association, National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA), Major Cities Chiefs Association, American Car Rental Association, NAMA - the National Automatic Merchandising Association, NAFA - The Fleet Management Association, American Truck Dealers, American Trucking Associations, National Private Truck Council, National RV Dealers Association, National Tank Truck Carriers.