Urges Congress and President to enact "Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2023."
Impact
The enactment of the 'Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2023' will have substantial implications for state laws related to theft and crime enforcement. It aims to equip law enforcement with enhanced resources and tools, such as strengthened federal money laundering statutes, and aims to allow federal judges to impose forfeiture after convictions related to organized retail theft. Establishing the Center to Combat Organized Retail Crime within the Department of Homeland Security will facilitate collaboration between law enforcement and retailers, ultimately seeking to address these rising crime rates effectively.
Summary
Assembly Resolution AR47 urges Congress and the President of the United States to enact the "Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2023." This legislation is designed to combat organized retail crime, which has been escalating in recent years and is causing significant economic damages estimated at $100 billion in 2023 alone. Retailers experience an average loss of $720,000 per $1 billion in sales due to theft, forcing them to raise prices which ultimately affects consumers. The resolution stresses the impact of such organized crime on both the economic landscape and consumer safety.
Contention
Noteworthy points of contention include debates around whether the increasing federal intervention is necessary in combating organized retail crime or whether this exacerbates local policing issues. Critics of federal involvement may argue that local law enforcement should handle such matters, emphasizing community-led strategies versus federal solutions. In light of rising violence associated with organized retail crime, with reports indicating threats and assaults on retail associates, advocates for the resolution argue that urgent action is necessary to enhance safety for both workers and consumers in retail environments.
Urges Congress to provide for joint session at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in honor of semiquincentennial of Declaration of Independence.
Removal of the Highway Plan and Building Restriction Line from Lot 9 in Square 5914 along the West Side of Congress Street, S.E., S.O. 22-01642, Act of 2024
Urging the Congress of the United States to propose and submit to the states for ratification a federal balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States and, in the event that Congress does not submit such an amendment on or before December 31, 2011, applying to Congress to call a convention for the specific and exclusive purpose of proposing an amendment to that constitution to provide, in the absence of a national emergency and on a two-thirds vote of Congress, for a federal balanced budget and requesting that the legislatures of each of the several states that compose the United States apply to Congress to call a convention to propose such an amendment.
A resolution recognizing the expiration of the Equal Rights Amendment proposed by Congress in March 1972, and observing that Congress has no authority to modify a resolution proposing a constitutional amendment after the amendment has been submitted to the States or after the amendment has expired.