House Passes Legislation to Combat Organized Supply Chain Theft and Retail Crime

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed bipartisan legislation to strengthen law enforcement tools to combat organized retail theft and supply chain crime.

H.R. 2853, the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, was introduced by U.S. Reps. David Valadao, R-California; Dave Joyce, R-Ohio; Susie Lee, D-Nevada; Brad Schneider, D-Illinois; Dina Titus, D-Nevada; Laurel Lee, R-Florida; Lou Correa, D-California; and Michael Baumgartner, R-Washington.

The legislation builds on provisions included in the Safeguarding Our Supply Chains Act, which Valadao and Schneider introduced in the previous Congress. Supporters say the bill is intended to address increasingly sophisticated criminal organizations involved in theft, fraud and other property crimes targeting retailers, manufacturers and supply chains.

The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act would expand legal tools available to law enforcement, including allowing criminal forfeitures tied to interstate shipment, transportation or sale of stolen goods convictions. It would also expand money-laundering statutes and allow prosecutors to pursue organized retail and supply-chain crime groups that use interstate or foreign commerce to facilitate crimes.

The bill also would require the creation of an Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center within Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Homeland Security.

Retailers and supply chain operators have reported sharp increases in theft in recent years. According to the National Retail Federation, retail larceny incidents increased 93% from 2019 to 2023, and stores lost $121.6 billion to retail theft in 2023.

Cargo theft also has increased across rail, road and distribution networks. CargoNet reported a 27% increase in cargo theft incidents in 2024 compared with 2023.

Those crimes can include large-scale theft from containers and storage facilities, as well as cyber-enabled schemes that divert shipments to illicit receivers. Supporters of the legislation say the losses can drive up costs, disrupt supply chains and fuel additional criminal activity through the resale of stolen goods in physical and online marketplaces.