Gov. Greg Abbott to sign bill addressing catalytic convertor thefts Tuesday

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Gov. Greg Abbott is expected Tuesday afternoon to sign a bill into law that creates new criminal offenses surrounding the theft of catalytic converters. 

State Senator Carol Alvarado's, D- Houston, Senate Bill 224 – known as the Deputy Darren Almendarez Act –  was designed to address the spike in catalytic converter thefts across the state. 

The bill honors Harris County Deputy Sheriff Darren Almendarez, who was shot and killed while off-duty on March 31, 2022, when he tried to stop three men for him stealing the device from his vehicle. Almendarez’s wife, Flo, was with him when he was shot. 

The law bumps up the punishment for stealing a catalytic converter to a felony offense and increases the penalty if the actor uses a firearm when stealing a device.

Further, the bill text states that if someone is in possession of two or more catalytic converters, law enforcement will presume they were acquired unlawfully unless that person works in a profession where having these devices around is typical – for example, a dealership or an automotive repair shop. 

Similar bills were filed this legislative session – including Senator Middleton’s, R-Galveston, SB 432 and Senator Bettencourt’s, R-Houston, SB 465– hoping to target the rise in catalytic converter thefts. Those two bills were combined to make SB 224 in a bipartisan effort to ensure the bill would pass, per a press release sent in March. 

“No pride of authorship, let’s just get the job done,” said Senator John Whitmire, D-Houston, in the release.