House-Passed Cargo Theft Bill Sits in Senate Judiciary as Session Winds Down

H.R. 2853, the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, would let prosecutors aggregate thefts over 12 months, add money laundering and forfeiture penalties, and stand up a DHS coordination center.

The Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, H.R. 2853, has been waiting in the Senate Judiciary Committee since May 13, 2026, after passing the House, according to the bill's record on Congress.gov. With the session nearing its end, the bill is the main federal vehicle for tougher penalties on organized cargo theft.

Sponsored by Rep. David Joyce, R-Ohio, and introduced April 10, 2025, the measure had 206 cosponsors by the time it reached the Senate. Its policy area is listed as crime and law enforcement.

According to the Congressional Research Service summary on the record, the bill expands federal enforcement of what it defines as organized retail and supply chain crime: offenses involving the interstate transportation of stolen property, the sale or receipt of stolen goods, or theft from an interstate or foreign shipment, when committed by, in coordination with, or at the instruction of an organization.

The bill makes four changes. First, for interstate transportation of stolen property and sale or receipt of stolen goods, it lets prosecutors base a case on the aggregate value of items stolen over a 12-month period, rather than a single incident, and makes those offenses predicates for federal money laundering charges with criminal forfeiture of the proceeds. Second, it makes theft from an interstate or foreign shipment a money laundering predicate as well, with forfeiture of associated property. Third, it expands the money laundering statute to cover offenses involving general-use prepaid cards, gift certificates and store gift cards. Fourth, it temporarily establishes a center within the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate federal law enforcement activity on organized retail and supply chain crime.

The Senate has taken no recorded action since referral.

What it means

For carriers and brokers, the aggregation provision is the practical change: a theft ring that steals many loads below the federal threshold could be charged on the combined value, and the money laundering and forfeiture hooks give prosecutors leverage over the networks that fence stolen freight and launder proceeds through gift cards. The DHS center would give the industry a single federal point of coordination for organized cargo theft. None of that takes effect unless the Senate acts before the session ends.

What's next

The bill needs Senate Judiciary Committee action, a floor vote and presidential signature before the 119th Congress adjourns; otherwise it must be reintroduced next year. Watch the committee's markup calendar and any effort to attach the text to a larger year-end package.

Sources

• H.R. 2853: Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025 — Congress.gov, 2026-05-13

Related coverage

• TIA takes top industry issues to Capitol Hill — Transport Topics, 2026-09-25

• FBI’s Memphis Cargo Theft Task Force warns cyber schemes put millions in freight at risk — FreightWaves, 2026-09-25

• 40% of loss prevention professionals report annual cargo theft losses topping $1M — FreightWaves, 2026-09-24

• SmartSense: Cargo theft concerns continue to rise — thetrucker.com (via Google News), 2026-09-26

• Cargo theft costs most retailers at least $1M per year — chainstoreage.com (via Google News), 2026-09-25

• Carrier verification: who's really hauling your freight? — Transport Topics, 2026-09-26