What This Bill Does
This bill aims to prevent theft of catalytic converters (devices in car exhaust systems that contain valuable metals) and other precious metal car parts. The bill creates new rules for how cars are built, establishes a grant program to stamp vehicle identification numbers on catalytic converters, requires sellers to keep detailed records when selling these parts, and creates criminal penalties for stealing or buying stolen catalytic converters.
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Who It Affects
- Car manufacturers and new vehicle sellers
- Law enforcement agencies
- Automobile dealers
- Automobile repair shops and service centers
- Nonprofit organizations
- Businesses that salvage, dismantle, recycle or repair motor vehicles or parts
- People who steal catalytic converters or buy stolen ones
- Vehicle owners
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Key Provisions
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration must add catalytic converters to motor vehicle theft prevention standards within 6 months of the bill becoming law. (Sec. 2)
- The Secretary of Transportation must create a grant program within 6 months to help eligible entities (law enforcement, auto dealers, repair shops and nonprofits) stamp vehicle identification numbers onto catalytic converters at no cost to vehicle owners. (Sec. 3)
- Businesses that buy or sell catalytic converters must keep records of the seller's name, address, thumbprint, phone number, government-issued ID photocopy, vehicle information and purchase date for at least two years. (Sec. 4)
- It becomes illegal to sell or buy partial catalytic converters or converters with identifying markings removed or tampered with. (Sec. 4)
- Anyone who steals a catalytic converter from someone else's vehicle, or knowingly buys a stolen one intending to sell it, can face fines and up to 5 years in prison. (Sec. 5)
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What Changes
New cars will be built with requirements to protect catalytic converters from theft. Repair shops, dealers and law enforcement can receive grants to permanently mark catalytic converters with vehicle identification numbers using stamping and special paint. Anyone selling catalytic converters must document exactly who buys them with detailed seller information kept for two years. Stealing catalytic converters or buying stolen ones becomes a federal crime with prison time and fines as punishment. Selling or buying catalytic converter parts that have been stripped down or had their markings removed becomes illegal.
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Important Definitions
- **Catalytic converter**: A device on motor vehicles that contains precious metals
- **Precious metals**: As defined by federal regulation section 109-27.5101 of title 41, Code of Federal Regulations (specific metals not listed in this bill)
- **De-canned catalytic converter**: A catalytic converter that has had its outer casing removed
- **Chop shop**: Any building, lot, facility or structure where people receive, store or dismantle motor vehicles or parts obtained unlawfully to alter, counterfeit, deface, extract precious metals, remove identification numbers or distribute parts in interstate or foreign commerce
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Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 621
To prevent the theft of catalytic converters and other precious metal car
parts, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 30, 2023
Mr. BAIRD (for himself, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. FEENSTRA, and Mr.
GUEST) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on
the Judiciary, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee con-
cerned
A BILL
To prevent the theft of catalytic converters and other
precious metal car parts, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preventing Auto Recy-
4
cling Theft Act’’ or the ‘‘PART Act’’.
5
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•HR 621 IH
SEC. 2. REQUIREMENTS FOR NEW MOTOR VEHICLES RE-
1
LATING TO CATALYTIC CONVERTERS.
2
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after the
3
date of enactment of this Act, the National Highway Traf-
4
fic Safety Administration shall—
5
(1) revise the motor vehicle theft prevention
6
standard in section 541.5 of title 49, Code of Fed-
7
eral Regulations, to include catalytic converters
8
among the parts specified in subsection (a) of such
9
section; and
10
(2) update such regulations as are necessary to
11
ensure that the requirements added by paragraph
12
(1) apply to any vehicle covered by part 565 of such
13
title.
14
(b) APPLICABILITY.—Notwithstanding any provision
15
of chapter 331 of title 49, United States Code, in the case
16
of a vehicle described in paragraph (2) of subsection (a)
17
that has not been sold to the first purchaser (as defined
18
in section 33101 of such title), the requirements added
19
by paragraph (1) of such subsection shall apply to the ve-
20
hicle beginning on the date that is 6 months after the Sec-
21
retary makes the revision and updates required by such
22
subsection, regardless of the model year of the vehicle or
23
the date on which the vehicle is manufactured.
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SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM FOR VIN STAMPING.
1
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after the
2
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transpor-
3
tation shall establish a program to provide grants to eligi-
4
ble entities to carry out covered activities, excluding
5
wages, related to catalytic converters.
6
(b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible for a grant under
7
this section, an eligible entity shall submit an application
8
at such time, in such manner, and containing such infor-
9
mation as the Secretary may require.
10
(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—In this section, eligible en-
11
tities shall be—
12
(1) law enforcement agencies;
13
(2) automobile dealers;
14
(3) automobile repair shops and service centers;
15
and
16
(4) nonprofit organizations.
17
(d) COVERED ACTIVITIES.—Covered activities under
18
this section include a die or pin stamping of the full vehicle
19
identification number onto the outside of the catalytic con-
20
verter in a conspicuous manner on motor vehicles. Such
21
stamping shall be—
22
(1) in a typed font and not handwritten; and
23
(2) covered by applying a coat of high-visibility,
24
high-heat theft deterrence paint.
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(e) REQUIREMENT.—Any covered activity carried out
1
under this section shall be carried out at no cost to the
2
owner of the vehicle being stamped on any vehicle other-
3
wise receiving service from the eligible entity.
4
(f) PRIORITIZATION.—In making grants under this
5
section, the Secretary shall prioritize—
6
(1) eligible entities operating in the areas with
7
the highest need for covered activities, including the
8
areas with the highest rates of catalytic converter
9
theft; and
10
(2) eligible entities that are in possession of
11
motor vehicles that are subject to section 2(b).
12
(g) PROCEDURES FOR MARKING.—In carrying out
13
the program established under subsection (a), the Sec-
14
retary shall issue such regulations as are necessary to es-
15
tablish procedures to mark catalytic converters of vehicles
16
most likely to be targeted for theft with unique identifica-
17
tion numbers using a combination of die or pin stamping
18
and high-visibility, high-heat theft deterrence paint with-
19
out damaging the function of such converter.
20
(h) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after
21
the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter
22
for 10 years, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a re-
23
port on the program established under subsection (a) that
24
includes a description of the progress, results, and any
25
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•HR 621 IH
findings of the program, including the total number of
1
catalytic converters marked under the program and, to the
2
extent known, whether any catalytic converters marked
3
under the program were stolen and the outcome of any
4
criminal investigation into the threats.
5
(i) FUNDING.—
6
(1) UNOBLIGATED
FUNDING
AVAILABLE.—Of
7
the unobligated balances appropriated by the Amer-
8
ican Rescue Plan Act of 2021, $7,000,000 shall be
9
made available to carry out this section.
10
(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In
11
the event that the total of $7,000,000 of the funds
12
described under paragraph (1) may not be made
13
available to carry out this section, there are author-
14
ized to be appropriated to carry out this section an
15
amount equal to the remaining funding necessary to
16
total $7,000,000.
17
SEC. 4. REQUIREMENTS FOR PURCHASE OF CATALYTIC
18
CONVERTERS AND RETENTION OF SELLER
19
INFORMATION.
20
(a) INCLUSION OF CATALYTIC CONVERTERS.—Sec-
21
tion 33101(6) of title 49, United States Code, is amend-
22
ed—
23
(1) in subparagraph (K), by striking ‘‘and’’;
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•HR 621 IH
(2) in subparagraph (L), by striking ‘‘(K)’’ and
1
inserting ‘‘(L)’’;
2
(3) by redesignating subparagraph (L) as sub-
3
paragraph (M); and
4
(4) by inserting after subparagraph (K), the
5
following:
6
‘‘(L) the catalytic converter; and’’.
7
(b) RETENTION
OF RECORDS.—Section 33111 of
8
title 49, United States Code, is amended—
9
(1) in subsection (a), in the subsection heading,
10
by striking ‘‘GENERAL REQUIREMENTS’’ and insert-
11
ing ‘‘PROHIBITIONS RELATED TO SELLING MOTOR
12
VEHICLE PARTS’’;
13
(2) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as
14
subsections (c) and (d), respectively; and
15
(3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
16
lowing:
17
‘‘(b) RETENTION OF RECORDS.—
18
‘‘(1) REQUIREMENT.—A person engaged in the
19
business of salvaging, dismantling, recycling, or re-
20
pairing motor vehicles or motor vehicle parts that
21
contain precious metals shall retain the records of
22
any seller of motor vehicle parts that sells such a
23
part to such person, including—
24
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•HR 621 IH
‘‘(A) the seller’s name, address, thumb-
1
print, telephone number, and a photocopy of a
2
government-issued identification of the seller;
3
and
4
‘‘(B) the make, model, vehicle identifica-
5
tion number, date of purchase, and a descrip-
6
tion of the motor vehicle or, with respect to a
7
motor vehicle part, a description of the motor
8
vehicle from which the part was purchased.
9
‘‘(2) DURATION OF RETENTION.—Such person
10
shall retain such information for a period of not less
11
than two years.
12
‘‘(3) DEFINITION.—For purposes of paragraph
13
(1), the term ‘precious metals’ has the meaning
14
given such term in section 109–27.5101 of title 41,
15
Code of Federal Regulations.’’.
16
(c) PROHIBITION ON SALE OF PARTIAL CATALYTIC
17
CONVERTERS.—It shall be unlawful to sell or purchase
18
any partial or de-canned catalytic converter parts or any
19
catalytic converter which has had identifying markings re-
20
moved or otherwise tampered with.
21
(d) REGULATIONS.—The Attorney General shall pre-
22
scribe regulations to carry out this section and the amend-
23
ments made by this section, including the enforcement and
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•HR 621 IH
penalties that apply to a violation of this section and the
1
amendments made by this section.
2
SEC. 5. CRIMINAL PENALTIES.
3
(a) THEFT OF CATALYTIC CONVERTERS.—Chapter
4
31 of title 18, United States Code, is amended—
5
(1) by adding at the end the following:
6
‘‘§ 671. Theft of catalytic converters
7
‘‘Whoever steals or knowingly and unlawfully takes,
8
carries away, or conceals a catalytic converter from an-
9
other person’s motor vehicle, or knowingly purchases such
10
a catalytic converter, with the intent to distribute, sell, or
11
dispose of such catalytic converter or any precious metal
12
removed therefrom in interstate or foreign commerce shall
13
be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5
14
years, or both. For purposes of this section, the term ‘pre-
15
cious metals’ has the meaning given such term in section
16
109–27.5101 of title 41, Code of Federal Regulations.’’;
17
and
18
(2) in the table of sections by adding at the end
19
the following:
20
‘‘671. Theft of catalytic converters’’.
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2311 of title 18, United
21
States Code, is amended by inserting after ‘‘for running
22
on land but not on rails;’’ the following:
23
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•HR 621 IH
‘‘ ‘Precious metals’ has the meaning given such term
1
in section 109–27.5101 of title 41, Code of Federal Regu-
2
lations;’’.
3
(c) TRAFFICKING IN CAR PARTS CONTAINING PRE-
4
CIOUS METALS.—Section 2321 of title 18, United States
5
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
6
‘‘(d) TRAFFICKING IN MOTOR VEHICLE PARTS CON-
7
TAINING PRECIOUS METALS.—Whoever buys, receives,
8
possesses, or obtains control of, with intent to sell or oth-
9
erwise dispose of, a catalytic converter (including a de-
10
canned catalytic converter), knowing the same to have
11
been stolen, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned
12
not more than 5 years, or both.’’.
13
(d) CHOP SHOPS.—Section 2322(b) of title 18,
14
United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
15
‘‘(b) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the
16
term ‘chop shop’ means any building, lot, facility, or other
17
structure or premise where one or more persons engage
18
in receiving, concealing, destroying, disassembling, dis-
19
mantling, reassembling, or storing any motor vehicle or
20
motor vehicle part which has been unlawfully obtained in
21
order to alter, counterfeit, deface, destroy, disguise, fal-
22
sify, forge, obliterate, extract any precious metal there-
23
from, or remove the identity, including the vehicle identi-
24
fication number or derivative thereof, or other identifica-
25
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•HR 621 IH
tion marking, of such vehicle or vehicle part and to dis-
1
tribute, sell, or dispose of such vehicle, or vehicle part,
2
or precious metal extracted from such vehicle part, in
3
interstate or foreign commerce.’’.
4
Æ
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