republic-os/legislation/us/states/va/2022/sb-729.md

type, title, description, jurisdiction, legislature, session, identifier, citation, classification, subjects, status, primary_sponsors, version_count, action_count, vote_count, first_action, last_action, source, source_identifier, source_url, source_hash, vintage, source_snapshot, retrieved_at, confidence, tags

type	title	description	jurisdiction	legislature	session	identifier	citation	classification	subjects	status	primary_sponsors	version_count	action_count	vote_count	first_action	last_action	source	source_identifier	source_url	source_hash	vintage	source_snapshot	retrieved_at	confidence	tags
Bill	Catalytic converters; tampering with, etc., penalty.	Damage to motor vehicles; catalytic converter; penalties. Makes it a Class 6 felony for a person to commit larceny of a catalytic converter from a motor vehicle, regardless of the converter's value, and provides that any person found in possession of a catalytic converter that has been detached from a motor vehicle shall be presumed to have committed larceny of the catalytic converter unless such person (i) is an authorized scrap seller or (ii) has in his possession documentation establishing that such person lawfully possesses the catalytic converter. The bill also makes it a Class 6 felony for a person to willfully break, injure, tamper with, or remove any part or parts of any vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel for the purpose of injuring, defacing, or destroying said vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel, or temporarily or permanently preventing its useful operation, or for any purpose against the will or without the consent of the owner, or to in any other manner willfully or maliciously interfere with or prevent the running or operation of such vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel, when such violation causes damage to such vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel of $1,000 or more. Current law makes such violation a Class 1 misdemeanor with no limit on the amount of damage. Under the bill, the penalty for damage of less than $1,000 remains a Class 1 misdemeanor. For the purposes of determining whether there is damage of $1,000 or more, the bill provides that the cost of any replacement part or parts of any vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel and any additional cost necessary to install such replacement part or parts shall be included in the cost of the damage. The bill also requires a scrap metal purchaser, when purchasing proprietary articles from a person who is not an authorized scrap seller, to (a) make copies of the documentation received from the seller establishing the seller lawfully possesses the proprietary articles and keep such copies with the permanent ledger maintained at the scrap metal purchaser's place of business and (b) after purchasing a proprietary article from a person, submit a report to the local sheriff's department or the chief of police within five business days describing the proprietary article and including a copy of the seller's identifying information and documentation that the seller lawfully possessed such article. The bill also requires the scrap metal purchaser to hold such proprietary article for not less than 15 days following submission of such report.	us/states/va	Virginia General Assembly	2022	SB 729	Virginia SB 729 (2022)	bill		enacted	Frank M. Ruff, Jr.	6	52	10	2022-01-21	2022-04-11	openstates	ocd-bill/43b1a595-1dbb-4737-816f-62f6e2b363fb	https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?221+sum+SB729	96ff2164473eaaeed3a9196f23f68369f7c2d7f0fb86aa3aea3bcbda91174a83	2026-07-01	https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump	2026-07-06	reported	legislation bill us-va

Virginia SB 729 (2022) — Catalytic converters; tampering with, etc., penalty.

Damage to motor vehicles; catalytic converter; penalties. Makes it a Class 6 felony for a person to commit larceny of a catalytic converter from a motor vehicle, regardless of the converter's value, and provides that any person found in possession of a catalytic converter that has been detached from a motor vehicle shall be presumed to have committed larceny of the catalytic converter unless such person (i) is an authorized scrap seller or (ii) has in his possession documentation establishing that such person lawfully possesses the catalytic converter. The bill also makes it a Class 6 felony for a person to willfully break, injure, tamper with, or remove any part or parts of any vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel for the purpose of injuring, defacing, or destroying said vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel, or temporarily or permanently preventing its useful operation, or for any purpose against the will or without the consent of the owner, or to in any other manner willfully or maliciously interfere with or prevent the running or operation of such vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel, when such violation causes damage to such vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel of $1,000 or more. Current law makes such violation a Class 1 misdemeanor with no limit on the amount of damage. Under the bill, the penalty for damage of less than $1,000 remains a Class 1 misdemeanor. For the purposes of determining whether there is damage of $1,000 or more, the bill provides that the cost of any replacement part or parts of any vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel and any additional cost necessary to install such replacement part or parts shall be included in the cost of the damage. The bill also requires a scrap metal purchaser, when purchasing proprietary articles from a person who is not an authorized scrap seller, to (a) make copies of the documentation received from the seller establishing the seller lawfully possesses the proprietary articles and keep such copies with the permanent ledger maintained at the scrap metal purchaser's place of business and (b) after purchasing a proprietary article from a person, submit a report to the local sheriff's department or the chief of police within five business days describing the proprietary article and including a copy of the seller's identifying information and documentation that the seller lawfully possessed such article. The bill also requires the scrap metal purchaser to hold such proprietary article for not less than 15 days following submission of such report.

Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. CHAP0665 (committee substitute) — source
2. Committee substitute printed 22106001D-S1 (committee substitute) — source
3. Committee substitute printed 22106963D-H1 (committee substitute) — source
4. Conference substitute printed 22107918D-S2 (committee substitute) — source
5. Presented and ordered printed 22104804D (committee substitute) — source
6. SB729ER (committee substitute) — source

Votes

• VOTE: Passage (72-Y 28-N) — 71–28 (pass) · lower
• Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (16-Y 4-N) — 16–4 (pass) · lower
• VOTE: Adoption (57-Y 38-N) — 56–38 (pass) · lower
• Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (8-Y 0-N) — 8–0 (pass) · lower
• Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) — 40–0 (pass) · upper
• Reported from Judiciary with substitute (15-Y 0-N) — 15–0 (pass) · upper
• House substitute rejected by Senate (5-Y 34-N) — 5–34 (fail) · upper
• Conference report agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N) — 40–0 (pass) · upper
• Senate acceded to request (39-Y 0-N) — 39–0 (pass) · upper
• Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) — 40–0 (pass) · upper

Sponsors

• Frank M. Ruff, Jr. — primary (person)
• Lionell Spruill, Sr. — cosponsor (person)

Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

• 2022-01-21 Presented and ordered printed 22104804D introduction
• 2022-01-21 Referred to Committee on the Judiciary referral-committee
• 2022-01-21 Impact statement from VCSC (SB729)
• 2022-01-31 Assigned Judiciary sub: Criminal Law referral-committee
• 2022-02-07 Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
• 2022-02-07 Reported from Judiciary with substitute (15-Y 0-N) committee-passage
• 2022-02-07 Committee substitute printed 22106001D-S1 substitution
• 2022-02-07 Incorporates SB41 (Spruill)
• 2022-02-08 Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
• 2022-02-09 Impact statement from DPB (SB729S1)
• 2022-02-09 Read second time reading-2
• 2022-02-09 Reading of substitute waived
• 2022-02-09 Committee substitute agreed to 22106001D-S1
• 2022-02-09 Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB729S1
• 2022-02-10 Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N) passage, reading-3
• 2022-02-22 Placed on Calendar
• 2022-02-22 Read first time reading-1
• 2022-02-22 Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice referral-committee
• 2022-02-22 Assigned Courts sub: Subcommittee #1 referral-committee
• 2022-02-23 House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
• 2022-02-23 Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (8-Y 0-N)
• 2022-02-25 Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (16-Y 4-N) committee-passage
• 2022-02-25 Committee substitute printed 22106963D-H1 substitution
• 2022-02-25 Impact statement from VCSC (SB729H1)
• 2022-02-28 Read second time reading-2
• 2022-03-01 Impact statement from DPB (SB729H1)
• 2022-03-01 Read third time reading-3
• 2022-03-01 Committee substitute agreed to 22106963D-H1
• 2022-03-01 Engrossed by House - committee substitute SB729H1
• 2022-03-01 Passed House with substitute (72-Y 28-N) passage
• 2022-03-01 VOTE: Passage (72-Y 28-N)
• 2022-03-03 Passed by for the day
• 2022-03-04 House substitute rejected by Senate (5-Y 34-N)
• 2022-03-07 House insisted on substitute
• 2022-03-07 House requested conference committee
• 2022-03-08 Senate acceded to request (39-Y 0-N)
• 2022-03-08 Conferees appointed by Senate
• 2022-03-10 Conferees appointed by House
• 2022-03-12 Amended by conference committee
• 2022-03-12 Conference substitute printed 22107918D-S2
• 2022-03-12 Conference report agreed to by House (57-Y 38-N)
• 2022-03-12 VOTE: Adoption (57-Y 38-N)
• 2022-03-12 Conference report agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N)
• 2022-03-15 Impact statement from DPB (SB729S2)
• 2022-03-21 Enrolled
• 2022-03-21 Signed by President
• 2022-03-22 Signed by Speaker
• 2022-03-22 Impact statement from DPB (SB729ER)
• 2022-03-22 Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 22, 2022
• 2022-03-22 Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2022
• 2022-03-22 Impact statement from VCSC (SB729S2)
• 2022-04-11 Approved by Governor-Chapter 665 (effective 7/1/22) executive-signature

Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/43b1a595-1dbb-4737-816f-62f6e2b363fb. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).