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Police in Mecosta, Osceola counties investigate copper thefts.

(CITIZEN PATRIOT | DAVE WEATHERWAX)

LANSING, MI -- The Michigan House on Thursday approved long-discussed legislation designed to fight metal theft that lawmakers and enforcement agencies says is "

."

The bipartisan bills, more than two years in the making and a priority for Gov. Rick Snyder, would expand the type of metals that are subject to existing sales regulations and add new rules for recycling facilities that buy scrap metal.

Supporters say the legislation, which will prohibit cash transactions for some commonly stolen items and require scrap yards to photograph incoming metal, will prevent quick fixes for metal thieves and create a more substantial paper trail for potential prosecution.

"Scrap metal theft in Michigan is a critical issue that has cost our businesses, municipalities, our farmers, our communities thousands of dollars every single week," said state Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, who began studying the problem three years ago after she had her vehicle's catalytic converter swiped on two occasions.

"Stolen scrap metal such as missing manhole covers, railroad weights, stop signs, guard rails, public lighting and phone lines put our residents in great danger."

Republican state Rep. Paul Muxlow of Brown City, who sponsored the package alongside Democratic Sen. Jim Ananich of Flint, pointed out that metal theft insurance claims in Michigan and Metro Detroit rank amongst the highest in the nation.

But the problem is not limited to urban areas, Muxlow explained, noting that a rural sheriff told him that thieves were stealing cables from wind turbines in his district.

House bills 4593 and 4595, approved in a series of 98-9 and 99-8 votes, appeared to stall out earlier this year due to opposition from the metal recyclers, who argued the proposals would burden "the good actors" already doing everything they could to stop metal theft.

A workgroup reconfigured the bills this summer in an attempt to mitigate those concerns, but the industry remains officially neutral on the package. Thursday's vote occurred two days after Republican House Speaker Jase Bolger toured Detroit with Democratic Rep. Harvey Santana and spoke to residents concerned about blight.

The House bills would prohibit cash transactions for copper wire, catalytic converters and air conditioners, establishing a three-day waiting period that would require sellers to return to the recycling yard or provide a listed address for payment by mail.

Scrap metal recyclers already are required to make a copy of a seller's photo identification, take their thumbprints and make them sign a statement indicating that the material is theirs to sell.

Under the bills, recyclers would also be required to capture a photo or video image of all incoming material and document the names of any employees who weigh and inspect purchases. However, they would no longer be required to "tag and hold" questionable purchases for seven days.

"We're not after good people, we're after thieves," Muxlow told reporters after Wednesday's session. "…We're not trying to make scrappers cops."

Jonathan Oosting is a Capitol reporter for MLive Media Group. Email him, find him on Google+ or follow him on Twitter.