Washington, DC – Today Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV), a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, joined Representatives Ken Buck (R-CO), Susie Lee (D-NV), and David Joyce (R-OH) to reintroduce the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, bipartisan legislation that would empower federal law enforcement to address organized retail crime groups that target American consumers and businesses.
“By establishing a coordinated federal response to tackle organized retail crime head-on, this legislation would target the criminals who endanger local businesses and consumers along with the transnational groups that fund their operations,” said Rep. Titus. “Measures like this one will help law enforcement pursue these predators and better protect our local businesses.”
"The disturbing explosion of organized retail crime across the country these past couple of years has seriously harmed businesses - large and small - putting communities at risk," said Rep. Buck. "I'm confident that the bipartisan Combating Organized Retail Crime Act will help our law enforcement officials stop future crimes, recover stolen goods and property, and punish those responsible. There is still much we don’t know about the depths of these criminal organizations, this bill would help us get to the bottom of it.”
“Organized retail crime puts all of us in danger, while hurting consumers and retailers,” said Rep. Lee. “These criminal groups are driving up prices for hardworking Americans, and using their stolen goods to fund human trafficking, weapons smuggling, and terrorism. That’s why I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this important legislation that will support law enforcement with the tools they need to crack down on these criminal operations.”
“I am proud to join my colleagues, Reps. Buck, Titus, and Lee, to introduce this bipartisan legislation, the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, to help curb the dangerous trend of large-scale theft,” said Rep. Joyce. “Organized retail crime creates nearly $100 billion in losses for businesses in Ohio and around the country. Congress must do more to address this issue, we can no longer allow these criminal operators to run rampant.”
Background:
Organized retail crime, the coordinated, large-scale theft of retail merchandise with the intention to resell that merchandise for financial gain, regularly involves a larger criminal enterprise that converts stolen goods into cash through physical and online marketplaces.
Representative Titus co-led the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act in the 117th Congress and is now reintroducing the bipartisan legislation to establish the Organized Retail Crime Coordination Center at DHS’s Homeland Security Investigations unit, combining expertise from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to create a cohesive national strategy to address organized retail crime. It would also create new tools and additional federal authorities to assist in the investigation and prosecution of organized retail crime, while helping recover lost goods and proceeds to protect the economic security of American consumers and businesses.
This legislation is supported by the National Retail Federation, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, the International Council of Shopping Centers, and the PASS (Protect America’s Small Sellers) Coalition.
Its full text can be found here.
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