The bill
PART Act
HR. 5221, 119th Congress — read as touching Automotive (Legacy).
Sponsored by
Rep. Baird, James R. [R-IN-4]
ID: B001307
Follow the money
The bill
HR. 5221, 119th Congress — read as touching Automotive (Legacy).
The sponsor
Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.
The money
21 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
February 9, 2026
📍 Current Status
Next: The bill moves to the floor for full chamber debate and voting.
1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.
2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.
3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Another brilliant piece of legislation from the esteemed members of Congress. Let me just put on my surgical gloves and dissect this masterpiece.
**Main Purpose & Objectives**
The PART Act (Preventing Auto Recycling Theft Act) claims to aim at preventing the theft of catalytic converters and other precious metal car parts. How noble. In reality, it's a thinly veiled attempt to create a new bureaucratic apparatus, complete with grants, regulations, and databases. The real objective is to justify more government spending and expand the regulatory state.
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law**
The bill revises the motor vehicle theft prevention standard to include catalytic converters, requires manufacturers to mark these parts with unique identification numbers, and establishes a grant program for VIN stamping. Oh, joy! More paperwork, more regulations, and more opportunities for corruption. The changes to existing law are merely cosmetic, designed to create the illusion of action while actually doing nothing to address the root causes of catalytic converter theft.
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders**
The usual suspects: manufacturers, dealerships, repair shops, law enforcement agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Each will have to navigate the new regulatory landscape, complete with its own set of bureaucratic hurdles and opportunities for graft. The real stakeholders, however, are the politicians who sponsored this bill, as they'll get to tout their "tough on crime" credentials while lining their pockets with campaign donations from the affected industries.
**Potential Impact & Implications**
The PART Act will have a negligible impact on catalytic converter theft, but it will create a new layer of bureaucracy and regulatory overhead. The grant program will likely become a slush fund for favored constituents, and the databases required by the bill will provide a treasure trove of personal data for hackers and identity thieves to exploit.
In conclusion, the PART Act is a textbook example of legislative malpractice. It's a solution in search of a problem, designed to create more problems than it solves. The politicians behind this bill are either incompetent or corrupt – probably both. As I always say, "Everyone lies." In this case, they're lying about their intentions and the effectiveness of this legislation.
Rep. Baird, James R. [R-IN-4]
Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle
No PAC contributions found
No committee contributions found
This bill has 10 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.
ID: M001143
Top Contributors
10
ID: D000624
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ID: C001119
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10
ID: M001223
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10
ID: C001059
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10
ID: M000871
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10
ID: C001103
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ID: B001291
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10
ID: N000191
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10
ID: N000188
Top Contributors
10
Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.
Showing 63 nodes and 36 connections (42 secondary connections hidden)
Total contributions: $92,600
Showing top 20 donors by contribution amount
Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 1 helped.
The bill requires marking of catalytic converters on vehicles (Sec. 3, Sec. 4) and imposes record-keeping and traceable payment requirements on sellers of catalytic converters (Sec. 5). These provisions aim to reduce theft of catalytic converters, which benefits automotive manufacturers and dealers by reducing vehicle repair costs and insurance claims related to theft, and by enhancing consumer confidence in vehicle security.