The state of Ohio is closer than ever to enacting legislation designed to curtail catalytic converter theft.
Ohio House Bill 328, two years in the making, passed the House Chamber earlier this year, “and hopefully will pass the Senate this fall,” said Alex Boehnke, executive director of the Ohio Tire & Automotive Association (OTAA).
The bill would stiffen the penalties for catalytic converter theft.
MTD recently sat down with Boehnke in Dublin, Ohio, site of the annual OTAA Golf Outing at the Country Club at Muirfield Village, to discuss legislative issues.
“The theft of catalytic converters has been a very important issue for our membership and their customers,” said Boehnke. “In our opinion, it is too easy to turn that stolen merchandise into cash.
“If passed, the legislation would also require people selling catalytic converters to show additional identification. They would have to prove the chain of ownership, which we think any reputable business would be happy to do.”
Boehnke is optimistic the bill will be passed by the state’s Senate and then signed by Ohio’s governor before the end of the year.
“It has strong bipartisan support,” said Boehnke. “It is also supported by the OTAA, other business associations and law enforcement. So we think there is a good coalition behind the bill and we are hopeful for passage this fall.”
Boehnke is also vice president of the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants. The OTAA is one of its affiliates.
“Our main purpose is advocacy, so I serve as the main representative for the association and the industry at the statehouse in Columbus. We are always paying attention to issues that could impact the business community and the retail community.”
The Ohio Council of Retail Merchants tracks more than 200 bills a year, roughly one-third of the total legislative issues addressed by the Ohio General Assembly.
“Right now, the state is in an election year, which means the legislative activity is a little less than it otherwise would be,” he said.” “But this coming winter, work on the biannual state budget process will begin. That is always a time where we pay very close attention to any changes that might happen in the tax code that could impact the tire dealer and other business owners.”
Boehnke also continues to do a lot of regulatory work on scrap tire rules, “making sure they are accomplishing the goal of reducing scrap tires without putting unnecessary rules and regulations on reputable tire dealers.”
