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House OKs ATV and Snowmachine Theft Bill
Kott's HB 102 Would Establish Felony Penalties for Offenses

(JUNEAU) - The House unanimously passed House Bill 102 today to address state problems with theft of all-terrain vehicles, snowmachines or personal watercraft.

Rep. Pete Kott (R-Eagle River) said he introduced the bill to make sure that the state legal system acknowledged and reflected the fact that the loss of a snowmachine in Bethel can be as serious a loss to its owner as the theft of a pickup truck in Anchorage.

"All-terrain vehicles and snowmachines are used in many parts of Alaska as the sole means of transportation, and therefore are more than merely recreational vehicles," said Kott. "Equal protection under the law demands that the theft of such vehicles be accorded the same treatment as provided for the principal transportation vehicles of other Alaskans."

HB 102 would make it a felony to cause more than $1,000 of damage to a propelled vehicle taken without the owner's permission. It would also expand the definition of all-terrain vehicles in felony theft statutes to include vehicles with multiple tracks or treads.

The bill would also classify theft of a Jet-Ski-type personal watercraft as a misdemeanor instead of a felony, as such vehicles are designed to be purely recreational, and do not serve as a principle means of transportation, he said.

HB 102 moves next to the Senate for consideration.

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