SPONSOR: Butz
This bill establishes the "Auto Theft Prevention Commission", which is assigned to the Department of Public Safety, though the Director of Public Safety will have no supervision, authority, or control over the actions or decisions of the Commission. The Commission will have 11 members, including, among others, the Superintendent of the State Highway Patrol or his or her designee; the Attorney General or his or her designee; and various members to be appointed by the Governor. The bill specifies provisions for those members appointed by the Governor. Some of the duties of the Commission include establishing a grant program for the provisions of funds to local law enforcement agencies and multi-jurisdiction task forces for: preventing, reducing, and investigating motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts theft; investigating fraud related to motor vehicle insurance, motor vehicle dealer purchases, and motor vehicle rental transactions; and purchasing equipment and technology for support in motor vehicle-related crime prevention, reduction, and investigation. The Commission will also provide support to local prosecutors handling motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts theft.
Any grant awarded under this section will be upon recommendation from and after consideration by the Commission. Each grant application must describe the type of motor vehicle-related crime prevention, reduction, investigation, enforcement, prosecution, or offender rehabilitation program to be implemented. The types of programs are provided in the bill.
The Commission must prepare an annual report and submit it to the General Assembly and the Governor by December 1st.
The bill creates the "Auto Theft Prevention Commission Revolving Fund", which will be used solely to implement the provisions related to the Commission. There will be $5 added to the fee to register a motor vehicle or trailer, increasing the total fee to $13. The additional $5 will be transferred to the Fund.
This bill is the same as HB 2737 (2024).
Statutes affected: