LANSING — Gov. Rick Snyder has signed into law a bill that provides tools to help police combat metal theft, an epidemic that puts Michiganders at risk and hurts businesses and communities.

House Bill 4593, sponsored by Rep. Paul Muxlow, R-Brown City, includes reforms that also make it more difficult for people to quickly and easily sell stolen metals – especially copper wiring and pipes, catalytic converters and air conditioners.

A companion bill, sponsored by then-Rep. Jim Ananich, D-Flint, was signed into law in December.

Metal theft has become a growing problem, with the number of reported crimes nearly tripling between 2011 and 2012, according to Michigan State Police data. The state ranked 10th in the nation for scrap metal insurance claims in a recent National Insurance Crime Bureau study.

The bill introduces restrictions  to make it more difficult for criminals to sell the materials, collecting information from scrap metal sellers at the point of sale to give law enforcement a much-needed paper trail. 

It also prohibits cash payment for scrap metal. Payments of more than $25 would be required to be mailed to an address listed on a valid form of identification for copper wiring and pipes, catalytic converters and air conditioners, some of the most commonly stolen materials.