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U.S. Senators Introduce Bill to Combat Catalytic Converter Theft Nationwide U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-MN, and Ron Wyden, D-OR, introduced legislation to combat the rise in catalytic converter theft. The Preventing Auto Recycling Theft (PART) Act would ensure law enforcement can more effectively address these thefts by marking each converter with a traceable identification number and establishing converter theft as a criminal offense.
locate stolen car parts, we will be one step closer in the fight to end catalytic converter theft.” Catalytic converters are used to reduce the potency of toxic emissions from an internal combustion engine and required for vehicle compliance with the Clean Air Act. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, catalytic converter thefts rose by more than 325% from 2019 to 2020. Replacing these parts imposes significant financial costs to vehicle owners, often between $500 to $2,300, and can even result in a total loss to the vehicle. The PART Act would:
“Throughout the country, we’ve seen an alarming increase in catalytic converter theft. These converters can be easily taken from unattended cars but are difficult and expensive for car owners to replace,” said Klobuchar. “By making catalytic converter theft a criminal offense and ensuring each converter can be easily tracked, our legislation would provide law enforcement officers with the tools and resources they need to crack down on these crimes.” “The theft of catalytic converters hurts the pocketbooks of working families and small business owners already struggling with rising costs,” said Wyden. “By strengthening local law enforcement’s ability to
Require new vehicles to have a Vehicle Identification number (VIN) stamped onto the converter to allow law enforcement officers to link stolen parts to the vehicle from which they originate Create a grant program through which entities can stamp VIN numbers onto catalytic converters of existing vehicles Improve record keeping standards for purchasers of used catalytic converters Establish enforceability of laws around catalytic converter theft by codifying these crimes as a criminal offense
41 YEARS
Vol. 13 / Issue 10 / January 2023
REGIONAL NEWS
Pre-Registration For NORTHEAST 2023 Now Open The countdown has begun! With just a few weeks left of 2022, it’s time to prepare for the most anticipated weekend in the automotive and collision world as the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey’s (AASP/ NJ) flagship event, the annual NORTHEAST® Automotive Services Show, returns March 17-19, 2023, to the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, NJ. Attendees can now visit the event’s website, aaspnjnortheast.com, to preregister for free admission to the show. NORTHEAST, which typically draws more than 6,000 industry professionals every March, is the largest and fastest growing show of its kind. Now in its 46th year, the show supplies automotive repair industry professionals with an unmatched
experience offering the latest tools, products, equipment and services, as well as a premium educational slate with some of the industry’s most knowledgeable minds scheduled to appear—including Mike Anderson of Collision Advice, Timothy Ronak of AkzoNobel and David Luehr of Elite Body Shop Solutions—who will speak to current industry trends and how to combat the latest challenges. Attendees can once again expect to visit with more than 150 exhibitors, interact with celebrity guests and have the chance to win some fantastic prizes. “It’s time yet again for the industry to return to the Meadowlands for the largest automotive services trade show of its kind, and we are very excited to see everyone on l CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
REGIONAL NEWS
Labor Rate Bill Fails in MA, but Supporters Hope for Passage in New Session By Dave LaChance Repairer Driven News
The bill has received the endorsement of the National Automobile Dealers Association, the American Truck
Although a bill that would have forced insurers to raise Massachusetts’ lowest-in-the-nation auto body labor rate failed to make it into law this year, supporters are expecting the issue to be brought up again in the 2023 legislative session. The labor rate bill was one of more than 100 outside sections that had been attached to the $3.76 billion economic
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Collision repair industry leaders paraded outside the Massachusetts State House on May 18 to demand action on bills that would have raised the state’s lowest-inthe-nation reimbursement rates.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE 12
Columnist Mike Anderson: Are You Itemizing Vehicle Prep Steps Necessary Prior to ADAS Calibrations?
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Columnist Abby Andrews: Future Technology Presents Liability Concerns for Collision Repairers
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Columnist Stacey Phillips: OEConnection’s RepairLogic Platform Helps Shops Find Accurate OEM Information
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Columnist John Yoswick: How to Get Entry-Level Collision Repair Techs Productive Quickly
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