RICHFIELD, Ohio — Representative Bill Roemer (R-Richfield) is sponsoring a bill that, if passed, could bring changes to how catalytic converters are sold in Ohio.
“There’s been an explosion of catalytic converter thefts in Ohio,” said Roemer. “I’ve had a number of people reach out to me: individuals, auto dealers, car rental companies and others because it’s an epidemic in Ohio.”
The most recently available data shows more than 150,000 catalytic converters were reported stolen across the United States in 2022. That figure, published by vehicle data company CARFAX in a 2023 report, is higher than the year prior.
House Bill 328 would make a catalytic converter a special purpose article, thus holding scrap metal dealers to additional requirements. It would also increase penalties for stolen catalytic converters and create a Catalytic Converter Theft Task Force.
“If a person shows up and says ‘I’ve got a catalytic converter,’ what our bill would say is you have to prove to use where you got it,” said Roemer, who is working alongside Representative Phil Plummer (R-Dayton) on this bill. “Do you have a repair bill from a muffler shop? Do you have an auto title or something like that? So you have to have proof that you legally own that catalytic converter.”
Roemer said one factor in his drafting of this bill was an incident he said happened at a church he attends.
“While church was going on, somebody passed uniformed police to try and steal catalytic converters in a church parking lot,” said Roemer.
During committee hearings in Columbus, the bill has seen support from the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police.
Chief Robert Butler from Independence testified in December during which he said chiefs throughout the state have been dealing with this crime in their cities.
“This is a quick crime, done within 30 seconds, allowing the criminals to hit several cars at once and be away from an area before the police are called,” said Butler. “Most victims do not realize they have been targeted until the next day, making apprehension difficult.”
On the other side is the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, who are against the passage of the bill.
John Carney represented the Ohio Valley and Northern Ohio Chapters of ISRI during testimony in December when he said ISRI believes the bill does not rid the region of “bad actors” and rather “only adds additional costs and regulation to law-abiding businesses.”
This is not the first time Roemer has proposed this type of legislation, but this time around, he is hopeful the bill will be passed into law.
“We're trying to protect those very vulnerable folks, the consumers in general that can't afford a few thousand dollars for a new catalytic converter and support businesses,” said Roemer. “Car dealers have had multiple catalytic converters stolen in an evening; insurance companies are paying a lot of money for these types of things. So, we're trying to make it a win-win-win.”