Senate committee passes bill that aims to crack down on catalytic converter thefts
By Marisa Yamane
Click here for updates on this story
HONOLULU (KITV) — A Hawaii Senate committee on Tuesday passed a measure that aims to curb the growing problem of catalytic converter thefts.
The Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection unanimously voted to pass Senate Bill 2279 with amendments that include some sections from Senate Bill 2733, which was a separate catalytic converter measure that was heard then deferred.
SB 2279 would raise the penalty for a catalytic converter theft from a petty misdemeanor to a Class C felony, which carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.
The bill would also make it harder for thieves to sell the stolen parts to recyclers by requiring the businesses to get extra information from the sellers.
“I think because theft of a catalytic converter in particular is such an enormous problem right now that heightened penalties just for stealing that type of item would help to deter and more appropriately punish the type of offense similar to what was done about ten years ago with theft of copper,” said deputy prosecuting attorney Tricia Nakamatsu, City and County of Honolulu.
The Honolulu Police Department said on Oahu last year, 2,274 catalytic converters were stolen and 166 others were almost stolen.
So far in 2022, there have been 168 catalytic converter thefts and 12 attempted thefts.
Catalytic converters are designed to reduce the harmful emissions, At hundreds or even thousands of dollars a piece, they aren’t cheap. Some vehicles have more than one catalytic converter.
“There were lots of catalytic converter bills introduced into the legislature this session. This measure happens to have 20 signatures on it. That’s why chair is recommending that we use this as the vehicle to deal with catalytic converters this session. Chair recommends we pass this measure with amendments,” said chair Sen. Roz Baker, (D) Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection.
SB 2279 is now referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
