Texas legislators have added a new wrinkle to the state's metals theft laws with the passage of Texas SB 208, adding recordkeeping, reporting, and penalty provisions related to purchase of an "explosive device" by a metal recycling entity.
It criminalizes the knowing sale or purchase of an explosive device, and requires recyclers who unknowingly purchase or otherwise obtain such a device to notify the Department of Public Safety; recyclers may also notify law enforcement or the nearest military installation so that the device may be removed or disposed of as soon as possible.
Other bills passed recently are more mundane. Louisiana amended penalties related to metals theft, while Pennsylvania created a new offense for the theft of secondary metal. Kansas delayed the implementation of their statewide reporting system until January 1, 2019, and legislation just passed in Delaware clarifies licensing requirements for scrap metal processors, sets requirements for applicants, and sets penalties.
Oklahoma, Kentucky, Maryland, and Arizona also passed metals theft amendments earlier in the year. To keep updated on the most recent versions of the law, ISRI members are encouraged to visit ISRI's state metals theft law summaries available on ISRI's State Specific Policy Resources and the Metals Theft Law Database.
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