Bill > H226

This bill establishes new regulations for secondary metals dealers, defining "engaging in a business" as a regular occupation rather than an occasional transaction, and requiring all scrap metal dealers to register with their local police chief by providing basic business information. Dealers must verify the identity of sellers using state-issued identification, maintain detailed daily transaction logs including the seller's information, the date and time, price paid, a description of the items, the vehicle's license plate number, and a statement of lawful possession. The bill also prohibits dealers from accepting specific items such as guardrails, manhole covers, high-voltage cables, historical markers, cemetery plaques, new construction materials, contractor tools, bleachers, traffic signs, beer kegs, and railroad scrap metal, with penalties for violations. Furthermore, it outlines procedures for law enforcement to place holds on suspected stolen scrap materials, requiring dealers to preserve such materials for a specified period, and establishes fines for various violations, including dealing without registration and knowingly purchasing prohibited metals. The bill also introduces a two-year pilot program for a Massachusetts abandoned property registry (MAP) to track vacant or foreclosing properties, accessible to law enforcement and managed by the commissioner of banks, and makes minor amendments to existing laws by removing references to "old metals."