Last week the Senate Economic Development committee took up and passed out a package of bills dealing with scrap metal.  The bills, HB 4593 and 4595 together would, among other things, outline the penalties for committing larceny by stealing nonferrous metal, required scrap metal dealers to maintain required records (picture IDs, etc), participate in a database registration system and place a three day hold on payment for catalytic converters, AC units and copper wire (the three most widely stolen objects).  This would give law enforcement time to be notified and take action against a potential thief.

Before passing HB 4593, however, the senate economic development committee stripped the three day hold on payment if, by October 1, 2014, the scrap metal industry implemented and maintained a database that included each purchase by a scrap metal dealer of items requiring the payment delay.

Sen. Jim Ananich has a substitute that he will be offering on the Senate floor today that would require the scrap metal industry get approval of the database by the Michigan State Police (MSP), the 3 day delay would begin immediately, but would sunset 90 days after the MSP-approved database is implemented, and reinstate a 7-day tag and hold on 3 items, copper wire, catalytic converters, and air conditioner components.

I will keep you update as this process moves further in this last week of session before the end of the year.

Nikki Brown is a legislative associate for the League handling economic development and land use issues.  She can be reached at nbrown@mml.org or 517-908-0305.