THEFT OF CATALYTIC CONVERTER S.B. 1193:
COMMITTEE SUMMARY
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Senate Bill 1193 (as introduced 3-6-08)
Sponsor: Senator Randy Richardville
Committee: Judiciary
Date Completed: 5-19-08
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Michigan Penal Code to make theft of a catalytic converter a felony punishable by up to five years' imprisonment and/or a maximum fine of $10,000.
Under the Code, a person who commits larceny by stealing or unlawfully removing or taking any wheel, tire, air bag, radio, stereo, clock, telephone, computer, or other electronic device in or on any motor vehicle, house trailer, trailer, or semitrailer, is guilty of a felony punishable as described above. The bill would include stealing or unlawfully removing or taking a catalytic converter in that prohibition.
(A catalytic converter is a pollution control device that reduces the toxicity of emissions from an internal combustion engine. They have been a mandatory part of all automobile exhaust systems since 1975, and contain precious metals such as platinum, palladium, or rhodium.)
MCL 750.356a Legislative Analyst: Patrick Affholter
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on State and local government. There are no data to indicate how many offenders would be convicted of stealing a catalytic converter. To the extent that the bill resulted in increased incarceration time, local governments would incur increased costs of incarceration in local facilities, which vary by county. The State would incur the cost of felony probation at an annual average cost of $2,000, as well as increased costs of incarceration in a State facility at an average annual cost of $33,000. Additional penal fine revenue would benefit public libraries.
Fiscal Analyst: Lindsay Hollander
Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb1193/0708