Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5932, the Organized Retail Theft Investigation and Prosecution Act of 2010, is an important step in combating a crime that costs retailers and taxpayers billions of dollars every year. I am pleased to join my Judiciary Committee colleagues Chairman Conyers, Chairman Scott, and Congressman Goodlatte as an original sponsor of this legislation. Organized retail theft involves the theft of large quantities of merchandise from retail stores. Unlike shoplifters, these thieves steal the merchandise with the intention of selling it back into the marketplace. In the past, the majority of these stolen goods were resold at swap meets, flea markets, or pawn shops. Today, the most popular venue for selling stolen goods is the Internet. Web sites such as eBay, Craigslist, and Amazon are being exploited by organized retail thieves to sell their stolen goods with relative ease and anonymity. This dynamic makes it increasingly more difficult for retailers and law enforcement agents to identify and apprehend these thieves. According to FBI estimates, organized retail theft rings cost businesses more than $30 billion in losses annually. A recent survey conducted by the National Retail Federation found that nearly 90 percent of the retailers surveyed have been victimized by organized retail theft, an 11 percent increase from 2007.…”