HB 2902 is a Missouri automobile-theft bill that expands and tightens criminal and regulatory rules around catalytic converters, salvage vehicles, scrap metal transactions, and electronic devices used to steal vehicles. It revises licensing and recordkeeping rules for salvage dealers, dismantlers, rebuilders, body shops, scrap processors, and junk/scrap metal dealers; requires more detailed transaction records; extends retention periods; and adds special documentation requirements for detached catalytic converters, including proof of lawful acquisition and vehicle-identification information. The bill also requires “FOR EXPORT ONLY” title stamping for certain salvage vehicle sales to non-U.S. residents and keeps those records available to the Department of Revenue.
The bill creates a new offense for unlawful possession of a detached catalytic converter with intent to sell it, classifying that conduct as a Class E felony. It also amends Missouri’s stealing statute to specifically include catalytic converters as stolen property and to raise penalties for stealing-related conduct involving them. In addition, it creates a new offense targeting motor vehicle key programming or emulating devices and relay attack devices, making manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, or use for unlawful purposes a Class D felony, while carving out exceptions for law enforcement, insurers, dealers, mechanics, locksmiths, and repossession agencies. Authorized possessors of such devices must report them lost or stolen within 48 hours.
HB 2902 also broadens the state’s anti-theft framework by adding catalytic converters to the list of property types that can trigger felony stealing charges and by authorizing the attorney general, upon written request from a local prosecutor, to prosecute organized retail theft cases and related offenses. The bill further strengthens scrap-metal reporting requirements by adding detached catalytic converters to the list of regulated materials, requiring monthly reporting to the Department of Revenue, and mandating that transactions involving detached catalytic converters occur only at a fixed place of business and not be altered or destroyed for five business days.
The general sentiment reflected in the bill’s structure is strongly pro-enforcement and aimed at curbing a specific wave of vehicle-related theft, especially catalytic converter theft and organized retail theft. The bill appears to be framed as a public-safety and anti-fraud measure rather than a broad criminal-code overhaul, with multiple provisions designed to improve traceability, deter resale of stolen parts, and give law enforcement and prosecutors more tools. No committee transcript or vote record is available here, so there is no direct recorded debate or roll-call sentiment to assess beyond the bill’s text and caption.
The main points of contention likely center on the compliance burden placed on scrap-metal dealers, salvage operators, and related businesses, as well as the breadth of the new device-possession offense and the expanded felony penalties. Businesses handling used auto parts may view the new recordkeeping, reporting, and title-stamping rules as administratively heavy, while civil-liberties or criminal-justice critics may question whether the new offenses and enhanced penalties are narrowly tailored. Supporters, by contrast, would likely emphasize the need to deter catalytic converter theft, vehicle theft, and organized resale networks.
HB 2902 would amend Missouri statutes governing salvage vehicles, scrap metal transactions, and stealing offenses, while adding two new criminal provisions. It would expand Department of Revenue oversight, require more detailed and longer-retained records from dealers and scrap businesses, impose special rules for detached catalytic converters, and create new felony offenses for unlawful possession of detached catalytic converters and for motor vehicle key programming/emulating or relay attack devices. It would also increase the legal consequences for stealing catalytic converters and related organized theft activity, and authorize the attorney general to prosecute organized retail theft cases when requested by local prosecutors.
The bill’s overall tone is tough-on-theft and prevention-oriented, with a clear focus on combating catalytic converter theft, vehicle theft, and organized resale schemes. Because there are no available committee transcripts or recorded votes in the provided material, there is no direct evidence of floor debate or partisan split. Based on the text alone, the bill appears designed to attract support from law enforcement, prosecutors, and auto-industry stakeholders concerned about theft losses, while likely drawing caution from regulated businesses that would face new reporting and compliance obligations.
Likely points of contention include the new reporting and recordkeeping requirements for junkyards, salvage pools, scrap dealers, and secondhand-property businesses; the five-business-day hold and fixed-location requirements for detached catalytic converter transactions; and the creation of new felony offenses for possession of detached catalytic converters and for key-programming or relay-attack devices. Supporters would likely argue these measures are necessary to disrupt theft markets and improve traceability, while opponents may argue they impose broad burdens on legitimate businesses and could criminalize conduct too aggressively if not carefully limited to unlawful intent.