Keep Cash Alive at Texas Scrap Yards

The Texas Legislator is working on bills that will eliminate cash payments at all scrap yards in Texas. The proposed payment method will be a check that must be mailed to the address provided on the sellers ID.

These bills are intended to help with the fight against scrap metal theft. Understandable. We support that fight and work directly with local law enforcement to assist with convictions and recovery of stolen materials.

However, the proposed new process is going to be extremely inconvenient for customers and scrap yards alike. Customers will now have to wait 2 days to receive payment in the mail, then have to take and deposit or cash the check (plus applicable fees/ taxes). Scrap yards (along with a mile of other information we collect and submit to the city and state) will now have send out 1,000's of checks. This is costly and very time consuming. An unnecessary inconvenience.

If the state would adapt and enforce a system similar to the one the City of Fort Worth uses, then cash could stay alive and criminals wouldn't be able to slip thru loop holes during conviction. This system submits all customer info directly to a database that Fort Worth PD monitors. Information that gets submitted includes ID, thumbprint, vehicle picture/description, scrap picture/description, copy of a signed ticket, picture of the seller, etc. This system provides authorities with everything they need to catch and convict criminals.

Please sign our petition and let our representatives know that we DO NOT support Senate Bill 437, Senate Bill 513 and House Bill 876.

Senate Bill 437
ftp://ftp.legis.state.tx.us/bills/84R/billtext/html/senate_bills/SB00400_SB00499/SB00437I.htm

Senate Bill 513
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/84R/billtext/html/SB00513I.htm

House Bill 876
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/84R/billtext/html/HB00876I.htm