LARCENY FROM A VEHICLE:
INCLUDE CATALYIC CONVERTER
House Bill 6022
Sponsor: Rep. Mary Valentine
Committee: Judiciary
Complete to 5-13-08
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 6022 AS INTRODUCED 4-24-08
A person who commits larceny by illegally removing various parts of a car (e.g., a wheel, air bag, or stereo) from a car, pickup truck, house trailer, trailer, semitrailer, or other motor vehicle is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than five years and/or a fine of not more than $10,000.
House Bill 6022 would amend the Michigan Penal Code (MCL 750.365a) to include the unlawful removal or theft of a catalytic converter from a motor vehicle as an act of larceny that would be subject to the above punishment.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The bill's fiscal impact on state and local correctional systems would depend on how it affected the number of criminal convictions and severity of sentences. To the extent that the bill increased the number of misdemeanor sentences, local costs of jail incarceration or misdemeanor probation supervision, both of which vary by jurisdiction, could increase.
To the extent that the bill increased the number of felony sentences, the state could incur increased costs of prison incarceration or felony probation supervision. The average appropriated cost of prison incarceration is approximately $32,000 per prisoner per year, a figure that includes various fixed administrative and operational costs. Costs of parole and probation supervision average about $2,000 per supervised offender per year. To the extent that more felons were sentenced to jail, affected counties could experience increased costs; jail costs vary by county.
Any increase in penal fine revenues could benefit local libraries, which are the constitutionally-designated recipients of those revenues.
Legislative Analyst: Susan Stutzky
Fiscal Analyst: Marilyn Peterson
■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.