NTEA — The Association for the Work Truck Industry announced support for legislation to combat the rise in catalytic converter theft.

The Preventing Auto Recycling Theft (PART) Act (Senate Bill 5024) — introduced by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) — is designed to help law enforcement more effectively trace stolen converters and address these thefts.

A companion bill (H.R. 6394) was introduced by U.S. Representative James Baird (R-IN) in the House of Representatives earlier this year.

"Theft of catalytic converters and other precious metals is widespread in our country and is costly to victims of such theft," said Steve Carey, NTEA president and CEO.

"This legislation is a step in the right direction in addressing this problem. NTEA applauds the efforts of Sen. Klobuchar and Sen. Wyden, as well as Rep. Baird, and encourages industry companies to support this important effort by contacting their legislators."

NTEA joins the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and the American Truck Dealers (ATD) in endorsing S. 5024.

In a press release, Klobuchar noted that catalytic converters are used to reduce the potency of toxic emissions from an internal combustion engine and required for vehicle compliance with the Clean Air Act. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, catalytic converter thefts rose by more than 325 percent from 2019 to 2020. Replacing these parts imposes significant financial costs to vehicle owners, and can even result in a total loss to the vehicle.

The PART Act would:

• Require new vehicles to have a vehicle identification number (VIN) stamped onto the converter to allow law enforcement officers to link stolen parts to the vehicle from which they originate;
• Create a grant program through which entities can stamp VIN numbers onto catalytic converters of existing vehicles;
• Improve recordkeeping standards for purchasers of used catalytic converters; and
• Establish enforceability of laws around catalytic converter theft by codifying these crimes as a criminal offense.

For more information, visit ntea.com/partact.

This story also appears on Truck and Trailer Guide.

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