I 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6394 

To prevent the theft of catalytic converters and other precious metal car 

parts, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 13, 2022 

Mr. BAIRD introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To prevent the theft of catalytic converters and other 

precious metal car parts, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preventing Auto Recy5 cling Theft Act’’ or the ‘‘PART Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REQUIREMENTS FOR NEW MOTOR VEHICLES RE2 LATING TO CATALYTIC CONVERTERS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after the 

4 date of enactment of this Act, the National Highway Traf5 fic Safety Administration shall— 

6 (1) revise the motor vehicle theft prevention 

7 standard in section 541.5 of title 49, Code of Fed8 eral Regulations, to include catalytic converters 

9 among the parts specified in subsection (a) of such 

10 section; and 

11 (2) update such regulations as are necessary to 

12 ensure that the requirements added by paragraph 

13 (1) apply to any vehicle covered by part 565 of such 

14 title. 

15 (b) APPLICABILITY.—Notwithstanding any provision 

16 of chapter 331 of title 49, United States Code, in the case 

17 of a vehicle described in paragraph (2) of subsection (a) 

18 that has not been sold to the first purchaser (as defined 

19 in section 33101 of such title), the requirements added 

20 by paragraph (1) of such subsection shall apply to the ve21 hicle beginning on the date that is 6 months after the Sec22 retary makes the revision and updates required by such 

23 subsection, regardless of the model year of the vehicle or 

24 the date on which the vehicle is manufactured. 


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1 SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM FOR VIN STAMPING. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after the 

3 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transpor4 tation shall establish a program to provide grants to eligi5 ble entities to carry out covered activities, excluding 

6 wages, related to catalytic converters. 

7 (b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible for a grant under 

8 this section, an eligible entity shall submit an application 

9 at such time, in such manner, and containing such infor10 mation as the Secretary may require. 

11 (c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—In this section, eligible en12 tities shall be— 

13 (1) law enforcement agencies; 

14 (2) automobile dealers; 

15 (3) automobile repair shops and service centers; 

16 and 

17 (4) nonprofit organizations. 

18 (d) COVERED ACTIVITIES.—Covered activities under 

19 this section include a die or pin stamping of the full vehicle 

20 identification number onto the outside of the catalytic con21 verter in a conspicuous manner on motor vehicles. Such 

22 stamping shall be— 

23 (1) in a typed font and not handwritten; and 

24 (2) covered by applying a coat of high-visibility, 

25 high-heat theft deterrence paint. 


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1 (e) REQUIREMENT.—Any covered activity carried out 

2 under this section shall be carried out at no cost to the 

3 owner of the vehicle being stamped on any vehicle other4 wise receiving service from the eligible entity. 

5 (f) PRIORITIZATION.—In making grants under this 

6 section, the Secretary shall prioritize— 

7 (1) eligible entities operating in the areas with 

8 the highest need for covered activities, including the 

9 areas with the highest rates of catalytic converter 

10 theft; and 

11 (2) eligible entities that are in possession of 

12 motor vehicles that are subject to the prohibition 

13 under section 1(b). 

14 (g) PROCEDURES FOR MARKING.—In carrying out 

15 the program established under subsection (a), the Sec16 retary shall issue such regulations as are necessary to es17 tablish procedures to mark catalytic converters of vehicles 

18 most likely to be targeted for theft with unique identifica19 tion numbers using a combination of die or pin stamping 

20 and high-visibility, high-heat theft deterrence paint with21 out damaging the function of such converter. 

22 (h) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after 

23 the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter 

24 for 10 years, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a re25 port on the program established under subsection (a) that 


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1 includes a description of the progress, results, and any 

2 findings of the program, including the total number of 

3 catalytic converters marked under the program and, to the 

4 extent known, whether any catalytic converters marked 

5 under the program were stolen and the outcome of any 

6 criminal investigation into the threats. 

7 (i) FUNDING.— 

8 (1) UNOBLIGATED FUNDING AVAILABLE.—Of 

9 the unobligated balances appropriated by the Amer10 ican Rescue Plan Act of 2021, $7,000,000 shall be 

11 made available to carry out this section. 

12 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 

13 the event that the total of $7,000,000 of the funds 

14 described under paragraph (1) may not be made 

15 available to carry out this section, there are author16 ized to be appropriated to carry out this section an 

17 amount equal to the remaining funding necessary to 

18 total $7,000,000. 

19 SEC. 4. REQUIREMENTS FOR PURCHASE OF CATALYTIC 

20 CONVERTERS AND RETENTION OF SELLER 

21 INFORMATION. 

22 (a) INCLUSION OF CATALYTIC CONVERTERS.—Sec23 tion 33101(6) of the title 49, United States Code, is 

24 amended— 

25 (1) in subparagraph (K), by striking ‘‘and’’; 


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1 (2) in subparagraph (L), by striking ‘‘(K)’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘(L)’’; 

3 (3) by redesignating subparagraph (L) as sub4 paragraph (M); and 

5 (4) by inserting after subparagraph (K), the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(L) the catalytic converter; and’’. 

8 (b) RETENTION OF RECORDS.—Section 33111 of the 

9 title 49, United States Code, is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (a), in the subsection heading, 

11 by striking ‘‘GENERAL REQUIREMENTS’’ and insert12 ing ‘‘PROHIBITIONS RELATED TO SELLING MOTOR

13 VEHICLE PARTS’’; 

14 (2) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as 

15 subsections (c) and (d), respectively; and 

16 (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(b) RETENTION OF RECORDS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) REQUIREMENT.—A person engaged in the 

20 business of salvaging, dismantling, recycling, or re21 pairing motor vehicles or motor vehicle parts that 

22 contain precious metals shall retain the records of 

23 any seller of motor vehicle parts that sells such a 

24 part to such person, including— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the seller’s name, address, thumb2 print, telephone number, and a photocopy of a 

3 government-issued identification of the seller; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(B) the make, model, vehicle identifica6 tion number, date of purchase, and a descrip7 tion of the motor vehicle or, with respect to a 

8 motor vehicle part, a description of the motor 

9 vehicle from which the part was purchased. 

10 ‘‘(2) DURATION OF RETENTION.—Such person 

11 shall retain such information for a period of not less 

12 than two years. 

13 ‘‘(3) DEFINITION.—For purposes of paragraph 

14 (1), the term ‘precious metals’ has the meaning 

15 given such term in section 109–27.5101 of title 41, 

16 Code of Federal Regulations.’’. 

17 (c) PROHIBITION ON SALE OF PARTIAL CATALYTIC

18 CONVERTERS.—It shall be unlawful to sell or purchase 

19 any partial or de-canned catalytic converter parts or any 

20 catalytic converter which has had identifying markings re21 moved or otherwise tampered with. 

22 (d) REGULATIONS.—The Attorney General shall pre23 scribe regulations to carry out this section and the amend24 ments made by this section, including the enforcement and 


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1 penalties that apply to a violation of this section and the 

2 amendments made by this section. 

3 SEC. 5. CRIMINAL PENALTIES. 

4 (a) THEFT OF CATALYTIC CONVERTERS.—Chapter 

5 31 of title 18, United States Code, is amended— 

6 (1) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘§ 671. Theft of catalytic converters 

8 ‘‘Whoever steals or knowingly and unlawfully takes, 

9 carries away, or conceals a catalytic converter from an10 other person’s motor vehicle, or knowingly purchases such 

11 a catalytic converter, with the intent to distribute, sell, or 

12 dispose of such catalytic converter or any precious metal 

13 removed therefrom in interstate or foreign commerce shall 

14 be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 

15 years, or both. For purposes of this section, the term ‘pre16 cious metals’ has the meaning given such term in section 

17 109–27.5101 of title 41, Code of Federal Regulations.’’; 

18 and 

19 (2) in the table of sections by adding at the end 

20 the following: 

‘‘671. Theft of catalytic converters’’. 

21 (b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2311 of title 18, United 

22 States Code, is amended by inserting after ‘‘for running 

23 on land but not on rails;’’ the following: 


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1 ‘‘ ‘Precious metals’ has the meaning given such 

2 term in section 109–27.5101 of title 41, Code of 

3 Federal Regulations;’’. 

4 (c) TRAFFICKING IN CAR PARTS CONTAINING PRE5 CIOUS METALS.—Section 2321 of title 18, United States 

6 Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(d) TRAFFICKING IN MOTOR VEHICLE PARTS CON8 TAINING PRECIOUS METALS.—Whoever buys, receives, 

9 possesses, or obtains control of, with intent to sell or oth10 erwise dispose of, a catalytic converter (including a de11 canned catalytic converter), knowing the same to have 

12 been stolen, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned 

13 not more than 5 years, or both.’’. 

14 (d) CHOP SHOPS.—Section 2322(b) of title 18, 

15 United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

16 ‘‘(b) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the 

17 term ‘chop shop’ means any building, lot, facility, or other 

18 structure or premise where one or more persons engage 

19 in receiving, concealing, destroying, disassembling, dis20 mantling, reassembling, or storing any motor vehicle or 

21 motor vehicle part which has been unlawfully obtained in 

22 order to alter, counterfeit, deface, destroy, disguise, fal23 sify, forge, obliterate, extract any precious metal there24 from, or remove the identity, including the vehicle identi25 fication number or derivative thereof, or other identificaVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:50 Jan 18, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6394.IH H6394

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1 tion marking, of such vehicle or vehicle part and to dis2 tribute, sell, or dispose of such vehicle, or vehicle part, 

3 or precious metal extracted from such vehicle part, in 

4 interstate or foreign commerce.’’. 

Æ 


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