Pawnshop bill would help owners
Measure to ease requirements for selling merchandise
HB133 would do away with fingerprinting people who sell items to pawnshops, said Rep. Rebecca D. Lockhart, R-Provo, who got the idea for her bill from listening to pawnshop owners in her district.
"It became clear to me that it's an issue of equal protection," Lockhart said. "Pawnshops are secondhand dealers, like coin shops, antique dealers, or for that matter, anyone who has a garage sale."
Still, the Provo lawmaker does not want to enhance the requirements for antique dealers or coin shops.
"I'm also a person who doesn't believe in over-regulation," she said. "I think there is a perception, an unfair perception, of pawnshops that is unwarranted."
Cash American International, which operates seven shops in Utah, donated $1,000 to the House Republican Election Committee last year.
Lockhart stressed her bill removes the 30-day hold on items sold to a pawnshop. The hold period would still apply on items put up for pawn — when someone brings something in, receives money for it and must return within a certain period of time to repurchase the item.
Lockhart said she wants to remove the fingerprinting requirement because "most good defense attorneys would have the fingerprints thrown out of court." She said pawnshops already collect a number of forms of identification from their customers.
Paul Boyden of the Statewide Association of Prosecutors said he hadn't reviewed the legislation but will likely have some concerns.
"I'm pretty sure the police will be concerned about it," he said. "But we'll see."
E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com
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