Sunday, March 30, 2008
Motor Fuel Drive Off Bill Clears Kentucky House.
A bill that lawmakers hope will prevent fuel pump drive-offs by giving retailers a way to collect payment and fines for stolen fuel without going directly to court passed the Kentucky House 90-7 today.
House Majority Whip Rep. Rob Wilkey, who presented Senate Bill 136 on the House floor for sponsor Sen. Jack Westwood, R-Crescent Springs, said the bill will give retailers who would not ordinarily take a drive-off case to court an incentive to recoup unpaid fuel costs on their own.
SB 136 now returns to the Senate for consideration of House changes to the bill.
"From a practical standpoint, most retailers are not going to take the time and energy to go to court to collect $30, $40 or $50. That's the problem," said Wilkey. "This will give them some incentive to get people to pay for the fuel that they're stealing."
Under the bill, retailers would record the license number of the drive-off vehicle, send the vehicle owner a certified letter with photographic evidence of the drive-off and ask the person to pay the cost of the fuel and a $30 penalty, said Wilkey. If the person does not pay the price of the fuel and the $30 penalty within 30 days, then the case would go to court where the person would be liable for the price of the fuel and $30 penalty as well as a civil penalty in the amount of either the price of the fuel or $100, he said.
House Majority Whip Rep. Rob Wilkey, who presented Senate Bill 136 on the House floor for sponsor Sen. Jack Westwood, R-Crescent Springs, said the bill will give retailers who would not ordinarily take a drive-off case to court an incentive to recoup unpaid fuel costs on their own.
SB 136 now returns to the Senate for consideration of House changes to the bill.
"From a practical standpoint, most retailers are not going to take the time and energy to go to court to collect $30, $40 or $50. That's the problem," said Wilkey. "This will give them some incentive to get people to pay for the fuel that they're stealing."
Under the bill, retailers would record the license number of the drive-off vehicle, send the vehicle owner a certified letter with photographic evidence of the drive-off and ask the person to pay the cost of the fuel and a $30 penalty, said Wilkey. If the person does not pay the price of the fuel and the $30 penalty within 30 days, then the case would go to court where the person would be liable for the price of the fuel and $30 penalty as well as a civil penalty in the amount of either the price of the fuel or $100, he said.
# posted by Joe Kinzer @ 8:02 AM 
