Retailers Welcome House Bill to Tackle ORC
- By [ Michael Hanson ]
- Washington, DC
- 10/14/2022
“Organized retail crime is now impacting communities large and small across the country. Key to curtailing the proliferation of ORC is increasing collaboration, information sharing, and transparency among stakeholders. The legislation introduced in the House today would do just that. By establishing a federal task force to help track and prosecute criminals, we can help curb what has become a $69 billion problem for American businesses, a major safety concern for communities, and in many cases, a marker of larger criminal activity at play such as human trafficking, gun smuggling, narcotics and terrorism.
“Retailers have strongly supported the INFORM Consumers Act, which would bring much needed transparency by requiring online marketplaces like Amazon to verify sellers, making it harder for criminal elements to hide behind screennames and bogus business accounts to peddle stolen goods.
“It is vital that the federal government focus attention on this growing problem. Bolstering online transparency with a task force that aligns the resources of the federal government would be a welcome 1-2 punch to addressing this threat to our stores and communities.
“We’re thrilled there is bipartisan, bicameral momentum to address this problem and we thank Representatives Buck, Titus, Lee, and Budd for their commitment to community safety.”
This bill is the House companion to S.5046 introduced last month by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).
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RILA members include more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers, and service suppliers, which together account for more than $1.5 trillion in annual sales, millions of American jobs, and more than 100,000 stores, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers domestically and abroad.
Tags
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Organized Retail Crime
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Public Policy
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Asset Protection
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Keeping Communities Safe