The US House of Representatives passed the INFORM Consumers Act (HR 5502) last week with a strong bipartisan vote, an important step in the fight against retail theft and ORC. WR applauds the House’s decisive action.
In addition to the House action, the INFORM Consumers Act is still part of the Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). While there is an ongoing discussion for removing the provision from the NDAA over jurisdictional issues, the move by the House sets up the ability for the bill to be included in an overall year-end omnibus package. It continues the way ahead for the INFORM Consumers Act to be approved by the Senate this year. This critical legislation is one of the multiple “prongs” necessary to crack down on retail theft and ORC. WR is cautiously optimistic that the bill will be passed by congress and enacted into law.
The Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces (INFORM) Act will make it more difficult for criminals to fence stolen and counterfeit goods in the shadows of the internet and help law enforcement investigate these illegal activities.
