The Pennsylvania Senate has approved legislation aimed at combating the surge in catalytic converter thefts.
Senate Bill 914, sponsored by State Sen. Frank Farry, a Republican who represents the Sixth Senate District, repeals the existing Scrap Metal Theft Prevention Act and moves its requirements into the state’s crimes code.
The bill passed in the senate unanimously and will now head to the House of Representatives.
The measure mandates scrap processors and recycling facilities to collect buyer information, enforce commercial-account rules, restrict purchases of certain materials, and establishes specific penalties.
Farry stated the legislation gives law enforcement and prosecutors stronger tools to investigate, track and prosecute catalytic converter thefts, which he called “a major problem in communities across the state.”
The proposal to curb scrap metal theft is one of several public safety measures Farry is advancing in coordination with local law enforcement.
Farrry’s office said a bill from the lawmaker to set penalties for theft of mail and packages and increased fines and penalties for illegal street racing have already passed the General Assembly and been signed into law.
In a separate proposal, Farry has introduced legislation to expand the use of DNA evidence.
This week, the bill advanced from the Senate Law and Justice Committee.
Senate Bill 912 would expand DNA collection, similar to fingerprinting, to better identify perpetrators and solve cold cases.
The bill would reintroduce a statewide DNA database that would be maintained by the Pennsylvania State Police.
The bill, according to Farry’s office, would require require DNA collection from individuals arrested for serious violent or sexual offenses and close a loophole by requiring DNA samples from individuals convicted of criminal homicide, which is currently classified separately from other felonies.
The bill notes that if a charge is dismissed, a conviction is overturned, or a person is acquitted, the person who the sample belongs to can request a judge order an expungement of the sample and record of it.
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“Public safety depends on giving law enforcement every reasonable tool to identify repeat offenders and bring closure to victims and families,” Farry said.
Laws that require the collection of DNA samples of those arrested before conviction have faced criticism nationwide due to concerns over privacy.
The lawmaker noted that 31 other states and the federal government already collect DNA at the time of arrest.
Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn, a Republican who is working with Farry on the bill, said the measure will be an “invaluable tool” allowing law enforcement to “identify perpetrators of serious felonies much earlier in the process.”
The need for the measure was highlighted by the testimony of victim advocate Ashley Spence, who shared her experience of justice being delayed until her attacker was identified through arrestee DNA legislation passed in California.
The bill now moves to the full Senate for consideration.
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