A special Tennessee legislative committee was formed to study the problem of copper theft. The committee has drafted legislation that will be sponsored by Senator Jim Kyle (D-Memphis) and Representative Mike McDonald (D-Portland) in the next session:

Under the legislation, all persons engaged in the scrap metal business would be required to register with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. Scrap dealers cannot purchase metal unless the seller has a state or federally issued photo id and provides a thumbprint. Dealers are required to keep detailed descriptions of each individual transaction and cannot purchase metal from anyone under the age of 18. Dealers that purchase copper, catalytic converters, and air conditioning coils and condensers are prohibited from making cash payments to the seller.

Read more here. The text of the bill is here.