GA Report: "Pawnbrokers"
GA Report - "Pawnbrokers" - Used records etc.
This is a classic case of unintended consequences.
At the Patrick Henry Supper Club http://www.richmondliberty.org/mt/events/ last night, I was asked about a bill that would put tremendous burdens on places that buy and sell used records and CDs. I knew nothing about it, but promised to find out, and put the information on the Richmond Liberty as quickly as possible.
The short version is that the bill would have pretty much ended the business of buying used records -- among other things -- for cash. There's a good story on this bill in this morning's Richmond Times-Dispatch, online at http://tinyurl.com/yurcrm. More information, updated as things happen, including the full text of the bill and all recorded votes, is online at http://tinyurl.com/2pnl5b.
The even shorter version: this particular problem is now fixed.
SB604, Stolle, Secondhand dealers; regulation thereof to current statutes regulating pawnbrokers.
Adds the regulation of secondhand dealers to current statutes regulating pawnbrokers. The bill also (i) requires secondhand dealers to prepare a daily report of goods and items sold to them, (ii) requires a pawnbroker to maintain records of each loan or transaction in the course of business for a period of one year, (iii) authorizes the chief law-enforcement officer of a locality to designate alternative means of submitting required daily reports, and (iv) adds secondhand dealers to the existing penalty provisions for pawnbrokers.
The bill attempts to address the problem of stolen property being sold to pawnbrokers, then resold to the public. The trouble is, it also expands the definition of "pawnbroker" to include "any person who deals in purchasing . . . things for resale to the public."
Among the things it would require these people to do is get a license, pass a background check, get an amazing amount of information from each customer, store that information for a year, make a report each and every day to the police, open his records and goods to inspection and search on police request without need for a warrant, and require newly-purchased goods to be held for up to 15 days before they can be resold.
This bill is over broad, in my opinion. It's already passed the Senate, and was supposed to receive final General Assembly approval today in the House.
At the last minute, the bill was amended to exclude "music recordings". Record shops are safe.
Other questions were asked about the bill: does it apply to flea markets? How about gun shows? Further debate, and final vote, on the bill has been postponed until Thursday the 6th.
If you'd like to weigh in on this, contact your delegate at http://tinyurl.com/ys2ajr.