Barbour signs copper bill

Barbour signs copper bill

The bill intended to crack down on metal theft cleared Gov. Haley Barbour’s desk today.

Barbour vetoed a similar bill after the regular legislative session ended in April. He said it hurt small businesses and asked lawmakers to change it during a special session.

Senate Bill 2006 requires scrap metal dealers to tag and hold purchases for three days instead of five. The measure also does away with fingerprinting requirements that were included in the original bill.

Business owners had praised Barbour for vetoing the original bill. They said it would have required them to either buy more property to store metals or shut down.

Clarion Ledger
6/9/8