Joyce Organized Retail Crime Bill Passes House

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Congressman Dave Joyce’s (OH-14) bill, the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act. This bipartisan, bicameral bill would establish a coordinated, multi-agency response and create new tools to tackle evolving trends in organized retail theft and combat these criminal operations.

Representatives Susie Lee (NV-03), David Valadao (CA-21), Dina Titus (NV-01), Michael Baumgartner (WA-05), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Laurel Lee (FL-15), and Lou Correa (CA-46) co-lead this legislation in the United States House of Representatives. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced the companion legislation in the United States Senate.

“Organized retail crime is an issue that affects everyone. Whether you are a business owner, truck driver, or the average consumer, these criminal enterprises are hurting your wallet and putting communities in danger,” said Congressman Joyce. “The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act takes a targeted approach to apprehending these criminal networks by establishing an Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center at the Department of Homeland Security and giving law enforcement the tools they need to do their job and protect our communities. I want to thank my colleagues in the House for supporting this legislation, and I urge the Senate to pass it swiftly .”

“Organized retail crime remains a serious and ongoing threat to retail employees, customers, and communities across the country. We commend Congressman Joyce for his leadership on advancing the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act and extend our gratitude to the House members who voted to support this critical bipartisan legislation. The bill enhances federal coordination and delivers much-needed resources to disrupt these criminal networks. We encourage the Senate to move quickly and send the legislation to the President for signature,” said National Retail Federation Executive Vice President of Government Relations David French.

“Cargo thieves are stealing $18 million every day from the trucking industry, and motor carriers and consumers pay the price,” said American Trucking Associations President & CEO Chris Spear.  “CORCA will give our industry and law enforcement the tools we need to fight back against highly organized, technologically advanced cargo theft rings, which are often orchestrated by transnational criminal groups.  Reps. David Joyce and Susie Lee deserve enormous credit for their bipartisan leadership of this critical legislation, and we thank their colleagues for voting in support.”

“Organized retail crime is sophisticated, coordinated criminal activity that puts our associates, customers, and communities at risk,” said Scott Glenn, Vice President of Enterprise Asset Protection at The Home Depot. “This bipartisan legislation would strengthen coordination across federal, state, and local partners and provide the tools needed to investigate and prosecute these crimes at scale. We urge the Senate to swiftly pass CORCA and help disrupt organized criminal networks nationwide.”

“Leading retailers are grateful to Representative Joyce and the bipartisan group of cosponsors for recognizing the urgent need to address the growing threat of organized retail crime,” said Sarah Gilmore, Senior Director of Government Affairs at the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA).  “Fraud-driven criminal networks engaged in cargo theft, gift card fraud, and all too often violent in-store ORC driven incidents threaten the safety and security of American communities. CORCA provides the tools necessary for coordinated action and information-sharing, ensuring that law enforcement and industry partners can prosecute and dismantle the criminal enterprises orchestrating these sophisticated schemes. RILA is thrilled to see this important piece of legislation pass the House.”

“Today’s bipartisan passage of the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act marks a major victory for communities, retailers, employees, and consumers across the country,” said Tom McGee, President and CEO of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). “Organized retail crime threatens public safety, disrupts local economies, and places enormous strain on retailers and property owners of all sizes. ICSC is proud to have worked alongside lawmakers, industry partners, and law enforcement since this legislation was first introduced, and we thank the House for advancing this critical bipartisan solution. We now urge the Senate to act quickly so this legislation can be signed into law.”

“UPS applauds the passage of the Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act, a critical step towards strengthening our national supply chain from rail to road to retail, which will help keep commerce moving safely and securely,” said Michael Kiely, President of Global Public Affairs at UPS.

“Cargo theft and organized retail crime are growing threats to America’s supply chain, impacting transportation networks, businesses, workers, and consumers,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “This legislation strengthens coordination among law enforcement agencies and gives authorities additional tools to combat sophisticated criminal operations that target cargo moving through our nation’s ports, railways, and freight corridors.”

“The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy applauds the passage of the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act. Organized retail crime is not just a financial threat to businesses — it is a public health threat. Stolen and diverted medications frequently find their way back into the supply chain through illegitimate channels, putting patients at serious risk. CORCA provides law enforcement with critical tools to disrupt these networks, and NABP looks forward to supporting its implementation to protect the integrity of the pharmaceutical supply chain and the patients who depend on it,” said Al Carter, Executive Director and CEO of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP).

“Organized retail crime is a serious issue. It threatens worker safety, contributes to violence, and drains resources from communities,” said National Fraternal Order of Police President Patrick Yoes. “On behalf of the more than 382,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police, I want to thank Reps. Joyce and Lee for their leadership on this issue.”

“Organized retail and supply chain crime is not a victimless issue. These increasingly sophisticated criminal networks threaten workers, disrupt legitimate commerce, and create ripple effects across the broader economy,” said James Wamsley, Group President of Global Operations at Milwaukee Tool. “Milwaukee Tool thanks Rep. Joyce and Rep. Lee for their leadership and supports the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act as an important step toward stronger coordination and enforcement to help disrupt these criminal operations.”

“NSSF is committed to ensuring firearms remain out of the hands of those who should never possess them. Criminals victimize entire communities when they brazenly commit ‘smash-and-grab’ burglaries and robberies of firearm retailers,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President & General Counsel. “The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act provides law enforcement and prosecutors the essential tools they need to dismantle these networks that plague our communities. NSSF is grateful for Congressman Dave Joyce for his leadership on this necessary legislation.”

“Walmart is committed to providing a safe, secure and welcoming shopping experience for our customers and associates. Organized retail crime threatens our communities, drives up costs for families and makes it harder for customers to access the products they need,” said Bruce Harris, Walmart Vice President of Federal Government Affairs. “We applaud the passage of the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, helping to disrupt the organized criminal networks behind retail and supply chain theft. This is an important step toward protecting communities, holding offenders accountable and ensuring customers can continue to shop with confidence.”

Background:

Organized retail crime goes far beyond isolated theft and increasingly involves sophisticated, multi-state, and often international, criminal networks that steal large volumes of goods, engage in cargo theft, and launder proceeds through financial instruments such as gift cards. These criminal enterprises put retail employees, warehouse workers, truck drivers, rail workers, and customers at risk while disrupting access to goods. These are not isolated incidents, but coordinated, large-scale criminal operations. Cargo theft targeting goods in transit has grown significantly, compounding financial losses and operational disruptions, while gift card fraud enables stolen merchandise to be rapidly converted into illicit funds. Proceeds from these crimes frequently fuel broader criminal activity, including drug, human, and weapons trafficking. Given the scale, coordination, and cross-jurisdictional nature of these crimes, a federal response is needed.

The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act would establish an Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center within Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This Coordination Center would enable increased collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, along with retail crime associations and subject-matter experts, to develop a cohesive strategy to combat these crimes and share valuable resources.

Specifically, the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act would:

• Enhance coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to combat organized retail and supply chain crime;

• Improve safe information-sharing with retailers, manufacturers, and transportation providers to identify and respond to emerging threats;

• Strengthen legal tools to disrupt criminal financing, including clarifying that gift cards may be treated as monetary instruments for money-laundering investigations;

• Enable prosecutors to more effectively target large-scale criminal enterprises by aggregating theft values tied to organized schemes; and

• Improve transparency by reporting on national trends in organized retail and supply chain crime.

Supporting Organizations: the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Major County Sheriffs of America, the National Retail Federation, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, the Reusable Packaging Association, the Association of American Railroads, the American Trucking Association, UPS, DHL, the U.S. Dairy Export Council, the National Milk Producers Foundation, the Intermodal Association of North America, the Transportation Intermediaries Association, the PASS (Protect America’s Small Sellers) Coalition, the International Downtown Association, Amazon, the World Shipping Council, Pirate Ship, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), The Home Depot, the International Council of Shopping Centers, the National Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, the Port of Los Angeles, and Metrolink. 

###