Organized Retail Theft Act of 2003
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: continuing resolutionA stopgap law funding the government at existing levels when the annual appropriations bills are not done by October 1.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) 8/1/2003 S10686-10687)
Organized Retail Theft Act of 2003 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit organized retail theft. Prescribes penalties to be imposed for: (1) obstructing, delaying, or affecting commerce or the movement of any article or commodity in commerce by taking possession of, carrying away, or transferring, with intent to steal, any goods offered for retail sale with a total value of between $1,000 and $5,000, or of over $5,000, during any 180-day period; (2) receiving, possessing, concealing, storing, bartering, selling, disposing of, or traveling in interstate or foreign commerce with intent to distribute, any property which the person knows, or should have known, has been taken or stolen in violation of this Act; and (3) knowingly promoting, managing, or facilitating such an offense. Provides enhanced penalties for assault, jeopardizing a person's life by use of a dangerous weapon, killing, or kidnapping committeed in the course of such an offense. Requires a person to forfeit any interest in goods acquired or maintained in violation of this Act.
Sets forth provisions concerning injunctions to restrain violations, impounding of goods, the forfeiture and disposition of goods, and civil remedies by persons aggrieved by violations of this Act.
Makes commission of organized retail theft a predicate for a claim under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
Prohibits anyone at a flea market from selling, offering for sale, or knowingly permitting the sale of: (1) baby food, infant formula, or similar products uses as a sole or major source of nutrition, manufactured and packaged for sale for consumption primarily by children under age three; or (2) any drug, food for special dietary use, cosmetic, or device, except by an authorized representative of the product manufacturer or distributor.
Requires the Attorney General to report on Department of Justice actions involving organized retail theft.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on July 31, 2003. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on July 31, 2003: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR 8/1/2003 S10686-10687)
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 108th Congress (2003-04), 498 of the 8,623 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 5.8 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
LARRY CRAIG (R-ID) introduced it on July 31, 2003. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on July 31, 2003, 8442 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 8442 days ago, on July 31, 2003.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 108th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2005 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIntroduced, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers