After a startling 15-percent uptick in home burglaries in the 30th Legislative District for items made from high-value metals, such as gold and silver, Rep. Katrina Asay introduced legislation to put in place greater protections for victims of home burglars.

House Bill 1716 is a public safety measure to address the growing epidemic of home robberies due in part to the rising prices of precious metals. The increasing number of transient gold-buying operations prompted local officials and law enforcement to request the legislation to give them another tool to curb home burglaries and help victims find stolen items.

“I am so pleased I could help our local officials and law enforcement address this issue. Their help and guidance proved invaluable to addressing this serious public safety issue,” said Asay, R-Milton. “As the price of gold and silver began to rise, so did the incidents of home robberies solely for items made from high-value metals were the target. With the overnight gold-buying operations that began cropping up around our communities, thieves could quickly sell the stolen items and the buyer was gone the following day.”

Asay explained the overnight-dealers business practice did not allow time for victims to file a police report and search for their items at local pawnbroker establishments. Under House Bill 1716, the items must be held for 30 days before being altered or resold.

As signed into law, the bill establishes and implements stricter standards on transactions involving gold and other precious metal property. The new law, which take effect July 1, requires pawnbrokers buying precious metals to:

• Keep a written record of the transaction, including the name, signature, photo, contact information and description of the seller.

• Include the name of the employee and date of the completed transaction.

• Catalog the items accepted in the transaction, including detailed descriptions of the items such as the color and size of gemstones and other identifying elements, as well as the price paid for the items/

• Hold the metal items in the location for 30 days.

“Our local pawnbrokers are honest, hard-working business people who don’t deal in stolen goods. They already comply with the protocol in my legislation and were supportive of it,” Asay said. “My legislation is meant to get at the unscrupulous and overnight precious metals buyers with the goals of curbing the upward trend we have seen in home burglaries, making our communities safer and giving victims of crime some additional protections.”