HOUSE BILL No. 6599

 

November 9, 2006, Introduced by Rep. Waters and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.

 

     A bill to amend 1917 PA 350, entitled

 

"An act to regulate and license second hand dealers and junk

dealers; and to prescribe penalties for the violation of the

provisions of this act,"

 

by amending sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 (MCL 445.401, 445.402,

 

445.403, 445.404, 445.405, and 445.408), sections 1 and 3 as

 

amended by 2006 PA 294; and to repeal acts and parts of acts.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 1. (1) A person, corporation, copartnership, or firm

 

shall not carry on the business of dealer in second hand goods or

 

junk dealer in any of the counties, cities, or villages of this

 

state  having a population of 1,000 located in counties of 25,000

 

or over  without having first obtained, from the mayor of the city

 

or the  president  chief executive officer of the county or village


 

where  such  the business is to be carried on, a license under this

 

act authorizing that person, corporation, copartnership, or firm to

 

carry on that business.

 

     (2) This subsection does not require an internet drop-off

 

store complying with subsection (3), or a person engaged in the

 

sale, purchase, consignment, or trade of personal property or other

 

valuable thing for himself or herself, to obtain a license under

 

this act.

 

     (3) An internet drop-off store in compliance with the

 

following conditions is exempt from licensure as a second hand

 

dealer or junk dealer under this act:

 

     (a) Has a fixed place of business within this state except

 

that he or she exclusively transacts all purchases or sales by

 

means of the internet and the purchases and sales are not

 

physically transacted on the premises of that fixed place of

 

business.

 

     (b) Has the personal property or other valuable thing

 

available on a website for viewing by photograph, if available, by

 

the general public at no charge, which website shall be searchable

 

by zip code or state, or both. The website viewing shall include,

 

as applicable, serial number, make, model, and other unique

 

identifying marks, numbers, names, or letters appearing on the

 

personal property or other valuable thing.

 

     (c) Maintains records of the sale, purchase, consignment, or

 

trade of the personal property or other valuable thing for at least

 

2 years, which records shall contain a description, including a

 

photograph, if available, and, if applicable, serial number, make,


 

model, and other unique identifying marks, numbers, names, or

 

letters appearing on the personal property or other valuable thing.

 

     (d) Provide the local law enforcement agency with any name

 

under which it conducts business on the website and access to the

 

business premises at any time during normal business hours for

 

purposes of inspection.

 

     (e) Within 24 hours after a request from a local law

 

enforcement agency, provide an electronic copy of the seller's or

 

consignor's name, address, telephone number, driver license number

 

and issuing state, the buyer's name and address if applicable, and

 

a description of the personal property or other valuable thing as

 

described in subdivision (c). The provision of information shall be

 

in a format acceptable to the local law enforcement agency but

 

shall at least be in a legible format and in the English language.

 

     (f) Provide that payment for the personal property or other

 

valuable thing is executed by means of check or other electronic

 

payment system, so long as the payment is not made in cash. No

 

payment shall be provided to the seller until the item is sold.

 

     (g) Immediately remove the personal property or other valuable

 

thing from the website if the local law enforcement agency

 

determines that the personal property or other valuable thing is

 

stolen.

 

     Sec. 2. (1) The mayor of  any such  a city  ,  or  president  

 

chief executive officer of  any such  a county or village  ,  may

 

from time to time  grant  under his hand and the official seal of

 

his office  to any  suitable  person, corporation, copartnership,

 

or firm, a license authorizing  such  that person, corporation,


 

copartnership, or firm to carry on the business of a second hand

 

dealer or junk dealer subject to the provisions of this act.  Said

 

     (2) The license shall designate the particular place  in said

 

city or village  where  such  that person, corporation,

 

copartnership, or firm shall carry on  said  that business.  , and

 

no person, corporation, copartnership or firm receiving said

 

license shall carry on said  The business  in any  shall be

 

conducted only in the place  other than as  designated in  said  

 

the license.  It shall be unlawful for the issuing officer to grant

 

a  

 

     (3) A license shall not be issued to any person, firm, or

 

corporation  doing, or  desiring to  do  conduct a junk business in

 

any residential community  ,  where  65 per cent  65% or more of

 

the property owners within a radius of 1 city block of  such junk

 

business, or  the contemplated junk business  ,  petition the

 

issuing officer not to do so.  : Provided, however, That in case

 

any person shall have no regular place of business, a license shall

 

be issued to such person to carry on the business of second hand

 

dealer or junk dealer either by horse and wagon, cart, automobile

 

or by pack.  

 

     (4) The  said  license shall be for the period of 1 year from

 

date of issuance unless sooner revoked for cause  ,  and  shall  is

 

not  be  transferable.  It shall be within the power of the  The

 

legislative body of any city, or the trustees and  president  chief

 

executive officer of any county or village,  to  shall fix the

 

amount to be paid as an annual license fee at any amount not more

 

than  50 dollars  $50.00.


 

     (5) The city, village, or county may inspect the premises of a

 

licensed second hand or junk dealer during normal business hours.

 

     Sec. 3. As used in this act:

 

     (a) "Automotive recycler" means a person who engages in

 

business primarily for the purpose of selling retail salvage

 

vehicle parts and secondarily for the purpose of selling retail

 

salvage motor vehicles or manufacturing or selling a product of

 

gradable scrap metal or a person employed as a salvage vehicle

 

agent as that term is defined in section 56c of the Michigan

 

vehicle code, 1949 PA 300, MCL 257.56c.

 

     (b) "Internet drop-off store" means a person, corporation, or

 

firm that contracts with other persons, corporations, or firms to

 

offer its personal property or other valuable thing for sale,

 

purchase, consignment, or trade through means of an internet

 

website and meets the conditions described in section 1(3).

 

     (c) "Local law enforcement agency" means the police agency of

 

the city, village, or township, or if none, the county sheriff of

 

the county in which the internet drop-off store conducts business.

 

     (d) "Scrap processor" means a person, utilizing machinery and

 

equipment and operating from a fixed location, whose principal

 

business is the processing and manufacturing of iron, steel,

 

nonferrous metals, paper, plastic, or glass, into prepared grades

 

of products suitable for consumption by recycling mills and

 

foundries.

 

     (e) "Second hand dealer" or "junk dealer" means any person,

 

corporation, or member or members of a copartnership or firm whose

 

principal business is that of purchasing, selling, exchanging,


 

storing, or receiving second hand articles of any kind, scrap

 

metals, cast iron, old iron, old steel, tool steel, aluminum,

 

copper, brass, lead pipe or tools, or lighting and plumbing

 

fixtures. Second hand dealer or junk dealer does not include  a

 

scrap processor or  an automotive recycler.

 

     Sec. 4. (1)  Such  A second hand dealer or junk dealer  as

 

defined in the preceding section  shall post in a conspicuous place

 

in or upon  his shop, store, wagon, boat or other  its place of

 

business  ,  a sign having  his  its name and occupation.  legibly

 

inscribed thereon, and

 

     (2) A second hand or junk dealer shall keep a separate book or

 

other record open to inspection by a member of a  police force,

 

city marshal, constable or other person,  local law enforcement

 

agency, in which shall be written or entered in the English

 

language at the time of the purchase or exchange of  such articles,  

 

any article a description  thereof  of the article, the name,

 

description, fingerprint, and  residence  address of the person

 

from whom the  same  article was purchased and received, and the

 

day and hour when  such  the purchase or exchange was made as well

 

as the location from which the item was obtained, if applicable.

 

Each entry shall be numbered consecutively.  , commencing with

 

number 1.

 

     Sec. 5. (1)  Such  The articles  ,  purchased or exchanged

 

shall be retained by the purchaser  thereof,  for at least 15 days

 

before disposing of them, in an accessible place in the building

 

where  such  the articles are purchased and received. A tag shall

 

be attached to  such  the articles in some visible and convenient


 

place, with the number written thereupon, to correspond with the

 

entry number in  such  the book or other record.  Such

 

     (2) The purchaser shall prepare and deliver on Monday of each

 

week to the chief of police or chief  police  law enforcement

 

officer of the  city  local unit of government in which such

 

business is carried on, before 12 o'clock noon, a legible and

 

correct copy written in the English language from  such  the book

 

or other record, containing a description of each article purchased

 

or received during the preceding week, the hour and day when the

 

purchase was made, and the description of the person from whom it

 

was purchased.  Such  The statement shall be verified by  the

 

affidavit of  the person subscribing his or her name thereto.

 

     (3) This section  shall  does not apply to old rags, waste

 

paper, and household goods except radios, televisions, record

 

players, and electrical appliances  . Nothing herein contained

 

shall make it necessary for  and does not require the purchaser to

 

retain articles purchased from individuals, firms, or corporations

 

having a fixed place of business after  said  those articles shall

 

have been reported.

 

     Sec. 8. (1)  Every person violating any of the provisions of

 

this act shall be punished by a fine not exceeding 100 dollars, nor

 

less than 10 dollars, or by imprisonment in the county jail not

 

exceeding 6 months, or by both such imprisonment and fine. In case

 

any  Except as otherwise provided for in this section, a person who

 

violates this act is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be

 

imprisoned for not more than 6 months and shall be fined not less

 

than $10.00 or more than $100.00.


 

     (2) A second hand or junk dealer who buys or sells scrap

 

metal, knowing that it is stolen, is guilty of a felony punishable

 

by imprisonment for not more than 3 years or a fine of not more

 

than $2,000.00, or both.

 

     (3) A second hand or junk dealer who buys or sells stolen

 

scrap metal that he or she has reason to believe was removed from a

 

municipal utility building or jobsite is guilty of a felony

 

punishable by imprisonment for not more than 5 years or a fine of

 

not more than $10,000.00, or both.

 

     (4) The license of a person, corporation, copartnership, or

 

firm  shall be  that is found guilty of violating any of the

 

provisions of this act  , the license issued to such person,

 

corporation, copartnership or firm  shall be  deemed  considered to

 

have been  be revoked  ipso facto,  upon entry of a conviction and

 

such person, corporation, copartnership, or firm shall not be

 

permitted to carry on  such  the business of being a second hand or

 

junk dealer within this state for a period of 1 year after  such  

 

that conviction.

 

     (5) The remedies under this act are independent and

 

cumulative. The use of 1 remedy by a person does not bar the use of

 

other lawful remedies by that person or the use of a lawful remedy

 

by another person.

 

     Enacting section 1. 1945 PA 231, MCL 445.471 to 445.476, is

 

repealed.