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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 14, 2013 01:25 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Todd Stephens |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Organized Retail Theft (Prior House Bill 1000) |
| In the near future, I plan to reintroduce legislation (prior House Bill 1000). House Bill 1000 passed the House on December 20, 2011 (149-48). Organized retail theft in Pennsylvania is a sophisticated crime and a growing problem that is estimated to cost our Commonwealth $60 million in sales tax revenue in 2010. One major retailer lost $21 million to retail theft in PA in 2010! Last year the news reported an investigation and prosecution of an organized retail theft ring operating in Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh. Luzerne, Northampton and Philadelphia Counties. The head of the 11-county organized retail theft crime ring was from NJ and he chose to operate his criminal enterprise in Pennsylvania for good reason – lower penalties. Pennsylvania’s penalty for retail theft is currently out of step with penalties provided for in many other states, and I will be introducing legislation to correct it. In the Commonwealth, an offense crosses the line from a misdemeanor to a felony when the value of the items stolen exceeds $2,000. Today, a thief who steals an item worth $1,999 from a Pennsylvania retail establishment is charged with a misdemeanor of the first degree, even if he has a prior conviction. Most other states set the felony threshold much lower. For example, in some of our neighboring states, theft of an item with a value over $1,000 carries the following: Maryland: Felony with a maximum of 10 years New York: Felony with a maximum of 4 years New Jersey: Felony with a maximum of 5 years District of Columbia: Felony with a maximum of 10 years Ohio: Felony with a maximum of 12 months We must deter criminal organizations from targeting Pennsylvania and our weak penalties. For that reason, I plan to introduce legislation that will amend our retail theft statute to make it a felony of the third degree if the value of the item is $1,000 or more. Former HB 1000 Cosponsors: MARSICO, CALTAGIRONE, BLOOM, EVANKOVICH, EVERETT, GEIST, GODSHALL, HARHART, M. K. KELLER, KORTZ, MAHER, MAJOR, MARSHALL, MILLARD, MILLER, QUIGLEY, READSHAW, VEREB AND WATSON |
Introduced as HB1000