| ||||||||||
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... |
New law takes aim at metal theft in Kentucky House Bill 242 prohibits anyone from buying or selling metal that has been smelted, burned or melted. By Shelley Catharine Johnson News from the office of the Attorney General Attorney General Jack Conway announced that a new law takes effect today to deter the growing problem of metal theft in Kentucky. House Bill 242 unanimously passed both houses of the Kentucky General Assembly during the 2011 legislative session and was signed into law by Gov. Steve Beshear on March 16. "Near-record prices for copper, platinum, aluminum and other metals have fueled the theft of common items such as copper wiring from utility lines, tornado warning sirens, coal mines and even foreclosed homes," said General Conway. "Metal theft is not only taking a heavy financial toll on businesses, it is endangering lives and putting communities at risk."Metal theft costs businesses nationally around one billion dollars each year, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage. It can also affect public safety by compromising communications or emergency response capabilities, such as 911 service.Kentucky's metal theft laws are designed to deter this growing problem by targeting thieves who steal and then resell secondary metals. House Bill 242 prohibits anyone from buying or selling metal that has been smelted, burned or melted. "Metal theft is a major concern across the Commonwealth," said Rep. Mike Denham, Vice Chairman of the Agriculture and Small Business Committee and sponsor of House Bill 242. "I am hopeful this new law will help stop these thefts and better protect our communities and our businesses, both large and small." Kentucky businesses, like AT&T, also welcome the new law and attribute the increase in metal theft to a number of factors, including the ailing economy. "The steady rise in the market price of copper and the state of the economy have led some people to extreme measures, including stealing copper cables from houses and telephone poles," said Mary Pat Regan, President AT&T Kentucky. "This new law will help us prevent the theft of copper wire from AT&T telephone poles, work centers and cell sites, which puts our customers and sometimes entire communities out of service." Kentucky and other states require scrap-metal dealers to keep detailed and extensive records of their transactions in an electronic format, including the seller's photograph, signature and their vehicle's information. In addition, penalties for damaging a communication or utility facility or interrupting services can include a felony conviction carrying prison time and heavy fines. This story was posted on 2011-06-08 14:49:40
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic News:
Adair Quiz Bowl Team qualifies for playoff 2nd year in row Joe Johnson Little League Park will remain Deputy Chief Justice Mary C. Noble makes history June 8, 2011 Megan K. Mercer is valedictorian of 2011 Ballard High Class Three new members appointed to Kentucky Arts Council board Cathy Luttrell has story on parachute drop at Green River lake Little League Park name not changed; sign a mistake Mr. Joe Johnson has been a big part of Adair baseball history Ripe blackberries soon available; will do weedeater cleaning Need great home for male black and white house cat View even more articles in topic News |
|
||||||||
| ||||||||||
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
|