RVDA and 12 other industry partners sent a letter this week to U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) in support of a bipartisan bill to combat rising catalytic converter theft in the U.S.
H.R. 6394, the “Preventing Auto Recycling Theft (PART) Act” is aimed at the growing national catalytic converter theft problem. The thefts cost businesses and vehicle owners millions of dollars annually, RVDA said.
“RVDA strongly supports this legislation to combat the growing problem of catalytic converter theft,” said RVDA President Phil Ingrassia. “These thieves can cause thousands of dollars of damage to a motorhome and or a tow vehicle and the bill would take proactive steps to prevent this crime.”
The PART Act will require new vehicles to have unique identifying numbers stamped on catalytic converters during assembly. The bill also establishes a federal criminal penalty for the theft, sale, trafficking or known purchase of a stolen catalytic convertor.
Catalytic converters are being stolen at increasingly higher rates due to their valuable metals, such as rhodium, platinum and palladium, RVDA said. Stolen catalytic converters can earn anywhere from $20 to $350 on the black market, and the replacement cost to vehicle owners can be as high as $2,500. The association said thefts are hard to combat as catalytic convertors are not easily traceable and can be stolen from unattended vehicles in mass quantities, including at dealership lots.
According to beenverified.com, Indiana, Georgia and Rhode Island have been the catalytic converter theft hotspots in 2022. The largest year-over-year increases for the first four months of this year were Indiana (417.1%), Connecticut (258%), Georgia (251.6%), Rhode Island (232.3%) and New York (230.3%).
“I cannot overstate the gravity of catalytic convertor theft across the country,” said Scott Lambert, president of the Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association (MADA). “Vehicle owners, including dealers and fleet owners, are collectively losing millions of dollars from these thefts, and in light of the global supply chain shortage, it is difficult and extremely costly to replace catalytic converters. I urge Congress to move this issue forward and hold a hearing to explore remedies for the millions of stakeholders impacted.”
In addition to RVDA, letter signers are:
- National Automobile Dealers Association
- National Independent Automobile Dealers Association
- American Car Rental Association
- American Truck Dealers
- American Trucking Associations
- Major Cities Chiefs Association
- NAFA Fleet Management Association
- National Automatic Merchandising Association
- National Insurance Crime Bureau
- National Private Truck Council
- National Sheriffs’ Association
- National Tank Truck Carriers
