Title
AN ACT CONCERNING PROHIBITION OF AUTOMATED PURCHASING MACHINES for the purpose of amending the County's secondhand personal property and pawn dealers law to prohibit the use of automated purchasing machines (also know as "reverse vending machines").
Background
An automated purchasing machine (APM) is a self-service kiosk that dispenses payment, typically in cash, for cell phones or other electronic devices. Such transactions are currently covered under the County's Secondhand Personal Property and Pawn Dealers law, Subtitle 5 Division 19 of the Code, but the existing law does not directly address the use of APMs. This year's Maryland General Assembly passed HB 918, which gives counties the authority to prohibit the operation of APMs within their respective counties. Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Montgomery County have recently enacted local laws prohibiting the use of APMs out of concern that APMs provide a convenient opportunity for cell phones thieves to convert stolen goods to cash without human interaction, thereby encouraging such thefts.
6/2/2014 - WITHDRAWN BY THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE