I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 621 
To prevent the theft of catalytic converters and other precious metal car 
parts, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 30, 2023 
Mr. BAIRD (for himself, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. FEENSTRA, and Mr. 
GUEST) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee 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 con-
cerned 
A BILL 
To prevent the theft of catalytic converters and other 
precious metal car parts, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preventing Auto Recy-
cling Theft Act’’ or the ‘‘PART Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. REQUIREMENTS FOR NEW MOTOR VEHICLES RE-
LATING TO CATALYTIC CONVERTERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the National Highway Traf-
fic Safety Administration shall— 
(1) revise the motor vehicle theft prevention 
standard in section 541.5 of title 49, Code of Fed-
eral Regulations, to include catalytic converters 
among the parts specified in subsection (a) of such 
section; and 
(2) update such regulations as are necessary to 
ensure that the requirements added by paragraph 
(1) apply to any vehicle covered by part 565 of such 
title. 
(b) APPLICABILITY.—Notwithstanding any provision 
of chapter 331 of title 49, United States Code, in the case 
of a vehicle described in paragraph (2) of subsection (a) 
that has not been sold to the first purchaser (as defined 
in section 33101 of such title), the requirements added 
by paragraph (1) of such subsection shall apply to the ve-
hicle beginning on the date that is 6 months after the Sec-
retary makes the revision and updates required by such 
subsection, regardless of the model year of the vehicle or 
the date on which the vehicle is manufactured. 
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SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM FOR VIN STAMPING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transpor-
tation shall establish a program to provide grants to eligi-
ble entities to carry out covered activities, excluding 
wages, related to catalytic converters. 
(b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible for a grant under 
this section, an eligible entity shall submit an application 
at such time, in such manner, and containing such infor-
mation as the Secretary may require. 
(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—In this section, eligible en-
tities shall be— 
(1) law enforcement agencies; 
(2) automobile dealers; 
(3) automobile repair shops and service centers; 
and 
(4) nonprofit organizations. 
(d) COVERED ACTIVITIES.—Covered activities under 
this section include a die or pin stamping of the full vehicle 
identification number onto the outside of the catalytic con-
verter in a conspicuous manner on motor vehicles. Such 
stamping shall be— 
(1) in a typed font and not handwritten; and 
(2) covered by applying a coat of high-visibility, 
high-heat theft deterrence paint. 
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(e) REQUIREMENT.—Any covered activity carried out 
under this section shall be carried out at no cost to the 
owner of the vehicle being stamped on any vehicle other-
wise receiving service from the eligible entity. 
(f) PRIORITIZATION.—In making grants under this 
section, the Secretary shall prioritize— 
(1) eligible entities operating in the areas with 
the highest need for covered activities, including the 
areas with the highest rates of catalytic converter 
theft; and 
(2) eligible entities that are in possession of 
motor vehicles that are subject to section 2(b). 
(g) PROCEDURES FOR MARKING.—In carrying out 
the program established under subsection (a), the Sec-
retary shall issue such regulations as are necessary to es-
tablish procedures to mark catalytic converters of vehicles 
most likely to be targeted for theft with unique identifica-
tion numbers using a combination of die or pin stamping 
and high-visibility, high-heat theft deterrence paint with-
out damaging the function of such converter. 
(h) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter 
for 10 years, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a re-
port on the program established under subsection (a) that 
includes a description of the progress, results, and any 
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findings of the program, including the total number of 
catalytic converters marked under the program and, to the 
extent known, whether any catalytic converters marked 
under the program were stolen and the outcome of any 
criminal investigation into the threats. 
(i) FUNDING.— 
(1) UNOBLIGATED
FUNDING
AVAILABLE.—Of 
the unobligated balances appropriated by the Amer-
ican Rescue Plan Act of 2021, $7,000,000 shall be 
made available to carry out this section. 
(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 
the event that the total of $7,000,000 of the funds 
described under paragraph (1) may not be made 
available to carry out this section, there are author-
ized to be appropriated to carry out this section an 
amount equal to the remaining funding necessary to 
total $7,000,000. 
SEC. 4. REQUIREMENTS FOR PURCHASE OF CATALYTIC 
CONVERTERS AND RETENTION OF SELLER 
INFORMATION. 
(a) INCLUSION OF CATALYTIC CONVERTERS.—Sec-
tion 33101(6) of title 49, United States Code, is amend-
ed— 
(1) in subparagraph (K), by striking ‘‘and’’; 
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(2) in subparagraph (L), by striking ‘‘(K)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘(L)’’; 
(3) by redesignating subparagraph (L) as sub-
paragraph (M); and 
(4) by inserting after subparagraph (K), the 
following: 
‘‘(L) the catalytic converter; and’’. 
(b) RETENTION
OF RECORDS.—Section 33111 of 
title 49, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), in the subsection heading, 
by striking ‘‘GENERAL REQUIREMENTS’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘PROHIBITIONS RELATED TO SELLING MOTOR 
VEHICLE PARTS’’; 
(2) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as 
subsections (c) and (d), respectively; and 
(3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(b) RETENTION OF RECORDS.— 
‘‘(1) REQUIREMENT.—A person engaged in the 
business of salvaging, dismantling, recycling, or re-
pairing motor vehicles or motor vehicle parts that 
contain precious metals shall retain the records of 
any seller of motor vehicle parts that sells such a 
part to such person, including— 
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‘‘(A) the seller’s name, address, thumb-
print, telephone number, and a photocopy of a 
government-issued identification of the seller; 
and 
‘‘(B) the make, model, vehicle identifica-
tion number, date of purchase, and a descrip-
tion of the motor vehicle or, with respect to a 
motor vehicle part, a description of the motor 
vehicle from which the part was purchased. 
‘‘(2) DURATION OF RETENTION.—Such person 
shall retain such information for a period of not less 
than two years. 
‘‘(3) DEFINITION.—For purposes of paragraph 
(1), the term ‘precious metals’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 109–27.5101 of title 41, 
Code of Federal Regulations.’’. 
(c) PROHIBITION ON SALE OF PARTIAL CATALYTIC 
CONVERTERS.—It shall be unlawful to sell or purchase 
any partial or de-canned catalytic converter parts or any 
catalytic converter which has had identifying markings re-
moved or otherwise tampered with. 
(d) REGULATIONS.—The Attorney General shall pre-
scribe regulations to carry out this section and the amend-
ments made by this section, including the enforcement and 
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penalties that apply to a violation of this section and the 
amendments made by this section. 
SEC. 5. CRIMINAL PENALTIES. 
(a) THEFT OF CATALYTIC CONVERTERS.—Chapter 
31 of title 18, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘§ 671. Theft of catalytic converters 
‘‘Whoever steals or knowingly and unlawfully takes, 
carries away, or conceals a catalytic converter from an-
other person’s motor vehicle, or knowingly purchases such 
a catalytic converter, with the intent to distribute, sell, or 
dispose of such catalytic converter or any precious metal 
removed therefrom in interstate or foreign commerce shall 
be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 
years, or both. For purposes of this section, the term ‘pre-
cious metals’ has the meaning given such term in section 
109–27.5101 of title 41, Code of Federal Regulations.’’; 
and 
(2) in the table of sections by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘671. Theft of catalytic converters’’. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2311 of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after ‘‘for running 
on land but not on rails;’’ the following: 
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‘‘ ‘Precious metals’ has the meaning given such term 
in section 109–27.5101 of title 41, Code of Federal Regu-
lations;’’. 
(c) TRAFFICKING IN CAR PARTS CONTAINING PRE-
CIOUS METALS.—Section 2321 of title 18, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) TRAFFICKING IN MOTOR VEHICLE PARTS CON-
TAINING PRECIOUS METALS.—Whoever buys, receives, 
possesses, or obtains control of, with intent to sell or oth-
erwise dispose of, a catalytic converter (including a de- 
canned catalytic converter), knowing the same to have 
been stolen, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned 
not more than 5 years, or both.’’. 
(d) CHOP SHOPS.—Section 2322(b) of title 18, 
United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(b) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the 
term ‘chop shop’ means any building, lot, facility, or other 
structure or premise where one or more persons engage 
in receiving, concealing, destroying, disassembling, dis-
mantling, reassembling, or storing any motor vehicle or 
motor vehicle part which has been unlawfully obtained in 
order to alter, counterfeit, deface, destroy, disguise, fal-
sify, forge, obliterate, extract any precious metal there-
from, or remove the identity, including the vehicle identi-
fication number or derivative thereof, or other identifica-
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tion marking, of such vehicle or vehicle part and to dis-
tribute, sell, or dispose of such vehicle, or vehicle part, 
or precious metal extracted from such vehicle part, in 
interstate or foreign commerce.’’. 
Æ 
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