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 HOUSE HEARING ON ORC COMING UP IN NOVEMBER

CONTACT YOUR REPRESENATIVES

ASK THEM TO CO-SPONSOR ORC BILLS

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security is gearing up to conduct an oversight hearing Thursday, November 5^th on issues relating to federal law enforcement efforts to combat Organized Retail Crime (ORC).  The hearing will feature one panel of federal law enforcement officials, including the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Postal Inspectors. 

Two bills are pending before the Judiciary Crime Subcommittee that would address ORC from a federal perspective.  They are the E-Fencing Enforcement Act of 2009 (H. R. 1166) sponsored by Judiciary Crime Subcommittee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) focused on the sale of stolen merchandise on internet auction sites; and the Organized Retail Crime Act of 2009 (H. R. 1173) introduced by Representatives Brad Ellsworth (D-IN) and Jim Jordan (R-OH) which makes ORC a federal felony and addresses both on-line and off-line including flea markets, pawn shops and shady store front operations.

The two ORC initiatives are enjoying strong bipartisan support with the following co-sponsors:

Allen Boyd (D-FL)                               Michael Arcuri (D-NY)

Steve Austria (R-OH)                          Marion Berry (D-AR)

Robert Brady (D-PA)                           John Carter (R-TX)

Howard Coble (R-NC)                          Artur Davis (D-AL)

Danny Davis (D--L)                             Bill Delahunt (D-MA)

Tim Holden (D-PA)                              Henry Johnson (D-GA)

Larry Kissell (D-NC)                             John Kline (R-MN)

Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL)                       Jim McGovern (D-MA)

John Murtha (D-PA)                            Erik Paulsen (R-MN)

Todd Platts (R-PA)                             Ted Poe (R-TX)

Laura Richardson (D-CA)                      Mike Rogers (R-MI)

Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI)                    Heath Shuler (D-NC)                          

Glenn Thompson (R-PA)                       Frank Wolf (R-VA)

With an ORC hearing in the works for November, the supermarket industry needs to weigh in now with letters to Members of Congress asking for their support and co-sponsorship of H. R. 1166 and H. R. 1173.  We need to show Chairman Bobby Scott and Representatives Ellsworth and Jordan a groundswell of support by getting more co-sponsors.  To contact your Representatives click on Write your Members of Congress at the top of this communication today!  FMI has endorsed both bills.