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In August, a joint industry letter from the coalition supporting the passage of the PART Act was signed by ARA and sent to Capitol Hill. The Coalition, which ARA has been working with since 2022, now has 120 organizations supporting the passage of a federal catalytic converter anti-theft bill. The content of the letter illustrates its importance across the supply chain. August 29, 2024 The Honorable Jack Reed Chairman
Committee on Armed Services 228 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Maria Cantwell Chair Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Roger Wicker Ranking Member Committee on Armed Services 228 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Ted Cruz Ranking Member Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Chairman Reed, Chair Cantwell, Ranking Member Wicker and Ranking Member Cruz: We, the undersigned organizations representing a cross-section of industry and interested stakeholders, are writing in strong support of Amdt. 2422 to S. 4638, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, filed by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.). The amendment is identical to the “Preventing Auto Recycling Theft” (PART) Act (S. 154), a bipartisan bill to combat the growing national problem of catalytic converter theft. This bill gives law enforcement additional tools to fight catalytic converter theft which has risen by nearly 900% between 2019 and 2023.[1] As you may be aware, catalytic converters are being stolen at increasingly higher rates because they contain valuable metals, such as rhodium, platinum and palladium. Thieves can easily steal catalytic converters from vehicles, and since they are not readily traceable, there is a lucrative market for these stolen parts. These thefts are costing millions of dollars to businesses and vehicle owners alike. In addition, for consumers, replacing a catalytic converter is costly and often difficult due to the part’s skyrocketing demand and supply chain shortages. The urgency of addressing catalytic converters thefts has risen as these thefts have increasingly turned violent, with many victims sustaining injuries and even losing their lives when confronting thieves. Recently, in a highly publicized tragedy, 37-year-old soap opera actor Johnny Wactor lost his life after confronting thieves stealing his converter.2 Many such dangerous events have occurred across the country including a Harris County (Texas) Sheriff Deputy Darren Almendarez who was shot and killed while off duty after he confronted thieves in a grocery store parking lot in the middle of the day.[3] The lack of traceable identifying marks on a catalytic converter allows criminals to launder the parts by selling to local middlemen, often referred to as “core buyers,” who buy stolen parts to then sell to scrap yards or smelters. Stolen catalytic converters can garner anywhere up to $350 each on the black market, while the replacement cost to vehicle owners can be as high as $2,500. Repair costs are often higher because thieves regularly damage other parts of the vehicle when removing the catalytic converter. The PART Act provides a national framework to help law enforcement combat rising catalytic converter theft. Because this crime frequently involves trafficking stolen parts across state lines, a federal framework is needed to aid the efforts of local law enforcement.[4] The bill also provides that catalytic converter transactions are recorded and made readily accessible to law enforcement officials to ensure bad actors are caught within the chain of commerce. Additionally, the legislation requires new vehicles to have unique, traceable identifying numbers stamped on catalytic converters at the time of assembly. It is important to clarify that S. 154 requires new vehicles to have a traceable identifying number stamped on the catalytic converter that is traceable back to the vehicle’s VIN. Currently, unless a thief is caught in the act of stealing a catalytic converter, there is no way to tie the stolen part to a specific vehicle. Parts marking is an effective deterrent to theft and a vital tool for prosecutors, as it ties a stolen catalytic converter back to a victim’s vehicle.[5] A 1998 Department of Transportation report analyzing the efficacy of vehicle parts marking laws concluded, “it appears that parts marking and other provisions of the 1984 and 1992 Acts have given the law enforcement community tools they can use to deter thefts, trace stolen vehicles and parts, and apprehend and convict thieves.”[6] A follow-up report commissioned by the Department of Justice corroborated this finding and went further by stating that “parts marking is cost- beneficial.”[7] According to law enforcement, marking catalytic converters would preserve their resources and give local law enforcement the tools they need to prosecute thieves while also acting as a theft deterrent. The bill also establishes a federal criminal penalty for the theft, sale, trafficking or known purchase of stolen catalytic converters of up to five years in jail. The bipartisan PART Act provides local law enforcement the necessary support needed to combat rising and dangerous catalytic converter theft. While we strongly support this amendment, we believe it would be strengthened by the addition of these perfecting provisions linked below.8 The undersigned organizations urge you to vote YES on Amdt. 2422 to S. 4638 to address this growing national problem which is affecting consumers and small businesses alike. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Automotive Recyclers Association AND American Property Casualty Insurance Association American Rental Association American Truck Dealers American Trucking Associations CAR Coalition Elite Catering & Event Professionals International Association of Chiefs of Police Major Cities Chiefs Association Major County Sheriffs of America NAFA Fleet Management Association National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies National Auto Auction Association Ntional Automatic Merchandising Association National Consumer League National District Attorneys Association National Insurance Crime Bureau National Private Truck Council National RV Dealers Association National Salvage Vehicle Reporting Program National Sheriffs’ Association National Tank Truck Carriers NTEA – The Work Truck Association Truck Renting and Leasing Association UPS Alaska Trucking Association Arizona Automobile Dealers Association Arkansas Automobile Dealers Association Austin Automobile Dealers Association Auto Dealers Association of Mega Milwaukee Automobile Dealers Association of Alabama Automobile Dealers Association of Indiana Automobile Dealers Association of Kansas City Automobile Dealers Association of North Dakota California New Car Dealers Association California Trucking Association Chicago Automobile Trade Association Colorado Automobile Dealers Association Colorado Motor Carriers Association Connecticut Automotive Retailers Association Delaware Automobile and Truck Dealers’ Association Detroit Auto Dealers Association Florida Automobile Dealers Association Georgia Automobile Dealers Association Georgia Motor Trucking Association Greater Cincinnati Automobile Dealers Association Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association Greater Los Angeles New Car Dealers Association Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association Idaho Automobile Dealers Association Idaho Trucking Association Illinois Automobile Dealers Association Illinois Trucking Association Indiana Motor Truck Association Iowa Automobile Dealers Association Iowa Motor Truck Association Kansas Automobile Dealers Association Kentucky Automobile Dealers Association Kentucky Trucking Association Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association Maine Automobile Dealers Association Maine Motor Transport Association Maryland Automobile Dealers Association Maryland Motor Truck Association Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association Michigan Automobile Dealers Association Minnesota Auto Dealers Association Mississippi Automobile Dealers Association Mississippi Trucking Association Missouri Automobile Dealers Association Missouri Trucking Association Montana Automobile Dealers Association Montana Trucking Association Motor Transport Association of Connecticut Nebraska New Car & Truck Dealers Association Nevada Franchised Auto Dealers Association Nevada Trucking Association New Car Dealers Association San Diego County New Car Dealers of Utah New Hampshire Automobile Dealers Association New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers New Jersey Motor Truck Association New Mexico Automotive Dealers Association New Mexico Trucking Association New York State Automobile Dealers Association North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association North Dakota Motor Carriers Association Ohio Automobile Dealers Association Oklahoma Automobile Dealers Association Oklahoma Trucking Association Oregon Auto Dealers Association Oregon Trucking Association Pennsylvania Automotive Association Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association Rhode Island Automobile Dealers Association Rhode Island Trucking Association Rochester Automobile Dealers Association South Carolina Automobile Dealers Association South Carolina Trucking Association South Dakota Auto Dealers Association South Dakota Trucking Association Tennessee Automotive Association Tennessee Trucking Association Texas Automobile Dealers Association Texas Trucking Association Trucking Association of Massachusetts Trucking Association of New York Utah Trucking Association Vermont Vehicle and Automotive Distributors Association Virginia Automobile Dealers Association Virginia Trucking Association Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association Washington State Auto Dealers Association Washington Trucking Associations West Virginia Automobile Dealers Association Wisconsin Automobile & Truck Dealers Association 1 “Catalytic Converter Thefts Decline As Laws Tighten, Scrap Metal Prices Weaken” Bumper, Dec. 11, 2023, https://www.bumper.com/vin-lookup/catalytic-converter-theft-state-rankings/ 2 “Johnny Wactor, ‘General Hospital’ actor, fatally shot in L.A.” NBC News, May 26, 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/pop- culture/tv/johnny-wactor-general-hospital-actor-fatally-shot-l-rcna154138 3 “Off-Duty Texas Deputy Killed in Shootout With Suspected Catalytic Converter Thieves” NBCDFW, April 1, 2022, https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/texas-deputy-dies-in-shootout-with-suspected-catalytic-converter- thieves/2929620/ 4 “Justice Department Announces Takedown of Nationwide Catalytic Converter Theft Ring,” U.S. Department of Justice, Nov. 2, 2022, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-takedown-nationwide-catalytic-converter-theft-ring 5 Vehicle parts marking was first enacted by Congress in the Motor Vehicle Theft Law Enforcement Act of 1984 [P.L. 98-547]. This law gave the Department of Transportation authority to prescribe by regulation a “vehicle theft prevention standard” which would require that manufacturers and importers of new passenger car models mark the major components of “high theft vehicles” with an identification number to help prevent their theft for “chop shop” operations. This program was expanded eight years later in the Anti-Car Theft Act of 1992 [P.L. 102-519]. See “Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Statutes – General Overview.” U.S. Department of Justice, Jan. 17, 2020, https://www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual-1359- motor-vehicle-theft-prevention-statutes-general-overview 6 “Auto Theft and Recovery: Effects of the Anti Car Theft Act of 1992 and the Motor Vehicle Theft Law Enforcement Act of 1984.” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, July 1998 https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/808761 7 “Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Automobile Parts Marking and Anti-Theft Devices on Preventing Theft.” Abt Associates Inc, Sept. 2003, https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/208800.pdf 8 “Proposed Coalition Amendments to the Preventing Auto Recycling Theft Act (H.R. 621/S. 154).” NADA, July 23, 2024, https://www.nada.org/media/15109/download?inline
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