A bill hoping to end the theft of copper wire from Minnesota cities is moving forward at the State Capitol.

On Monday, the House Commerce Committee supported the plan, which requires sellers to be licensed by the state.

RELATED: Bill provides hope, lacks enforcement for reducing copper wire theft in Minnesota

The mayor of one of the hardest-hit cities was there to urge its passing.

“It goes beyond inconveniencing communities. It leaves our communities in the dark and compromises the safety of our residents,” said St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter.

Carter and other local leaders explained that copper wire thefts are not only costly but potentially deadly.

On Dec. 24, 2023, 64-year-old Steven Wirtz and his dog were hit by a driver while walking across the street without lights.

It’s just one of the many locations where the city says it’s spent more than a million dollars making repairs, but workers can’t keep up.

“We’ve seen copper stolen right out of the lights we’ve replaced literally the following day,” Carter said.

Speakers on Monday said it was a problem across the metro and beyond.

“This is a statewide issue as noted by the signed-on letter that you have in your packets from 38 different mayors across our state,” noted Carter.

While the committee agreed copper theft was a problem, some are pushing back against the licensure plan.

“I might just throw it in the garbage if my options are spend $250 or recycle. And I understand that the option to recycle still exists,” said Jeremy Estenson with the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries.

“We have a bill before us here that could continue to hamper small businesses and individuals who do good work in recycling,” Rep. Isaac Schultz said.

The bill ultimately passed and now heads to the Ways and Means Committee before it goes to the full House.

A similar proposal is also making its way through the Minnesota Senate and will be heard on Tuesday.

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“It’s really like battlefield triage.” Streetlights in St. Paul go dark due to theft of copper wire