SPRINGFIELD – 115th District State Representative Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) earned unanimous support on legislation he is sponsoring that aims to curb a recent rash of thefts involving catalytic converters from personal and commercial vehicles.
“After months of reading through various news and police reports and gathering information from individual meetings I have had with constituents, I decided action was needed to curb the theft of catalytic converters,” Jacobs said. “This crime has become a growing problem throughout the State of Illinois,” Jacobs said.
HB 4734 prohibits a scrap metal processor or automotive parts recycler from purchasing or receiving a catalytic converter, except from a commercial seller or from the owner of the vehicle from which the catalytic converter was removed. The legislation also establishes record-keeping requirements for the purchase or receipt of a catalytic converter and prohibits processors and recyclers from acquiring a catalytic converter that has been removed from a vehicle and sold independently of that vehicle. Having received unanimous House support, HB 4734 will now head to the Illinois Senate for consideration.
“The places that have been most hurt by these theft rings have been schools, daycares, and churches,” Jacobs said. “It is a sad fact that we must address these crimes, as criminals have little regard for the harm they are doing to institutions that provide educational and charitable services to children and adults that need help with transportation. We’ve cleared one hurdle in the House, and now I look forward to this bill passing the Senate and being signed by the Governor.”
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