NRF supports federal bill to thwart retail crime

The following statement may be attributed to National Retail Federation Executive Vice President of Government Relations David French following the introduction of the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025 by Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Representative Dave Joyce, R-Ohio.

“ORC is a multibillion-dollar crisis impacting retailers, their associates, and the customers they serve. ORC is occurring across the retail enterprise—supply chains, brick-and-mortar stores, warehouses, and online—with stolen products sold for a profit, oftentimes to fund other crimes.

“The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025 will align efforts within a new Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center to ensure that resources and information-sharing will be available across local, state, federal, and private-sector partners to bring cases and prosecutions against organized theft groups. This legislation is an important step to help prevent ORC from infiltrating local communities across the country.

“NRF applauds Chairman Grassley, Sen. Cortez Masto, Rep. Joyce, and all of their bipartisan original co-sponsors for their continued leadership to address one of retail’s biggest challenges. We urge Congress to move quickly to approve this integral measure.”

According to NRF’s "The Impact of Retail Theft & Violence 2024" report, about three-quarters (73%) of those surveyed say that shoplifters are exhibiting more violence and aggression than they were a year ago. Furthermore, nearly all (94%) retailers view federal legislation as a necessity to effectively combat this issue.