{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/icymi-iowa-association-of-business-and-industry-endorses-grassleys-combating-organized-retail-crime-act", "ICYMI: Iowa Association of Business and Industry Endorses Grassley\u2019s Combating Organized Retail Crime Act", "2025-11-24", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "Senate", "IA", "Chuck Grassley", "G000386", "www.grassley.senate.gov", "grassley", "https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases", "scraper", "BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA \u2013 The Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) is applauding U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley\u2019s (R-Iowa) Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA). The bipartisan bill, cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), would establish a multi-agency response to tackle evolving trends in retail theft, recover stolen goods and deter future attacks.\n\n\u201cGrassley\u2019s long record of practical problem-solving continues with this effort. His leadership ensures that Iowa\u2019s voice is shaping national policy on an issue that affects every business and every household in our state,\u201d wrote Brad Hartkopf, Senior Director of Public Policy at Iowa ABI.\n\nGrassley chaired a Judiciary Committee hearing on organized retail crime earlier this year, where expert witnesses urged congressional action on Grassley\u2019s \u201cgame changing\u201d legislation. Industry support for CORCA has continued to grow since the hearing \u2013 the bill has been endorsed by 38 state attorneys general, as well as leading advocacy groups, major law enforcement organizations and a coalition of over 260 impacted businesses.\n\nRead ABI\u2019s op-ed in The Gazette, or below.\n\nFighting cargo theft protects Iowa businesses and consumers\n\nBy Brad Hartkopf | Senior Director of Public Policy, Iowa Association of Business and Industry\n\nNovember 22, 2024\n\nThe Gazette\n\nOrganized cargo theft is skyrocketing, and the impact is real for businesses, workers and families here in Iowa and across the country. In fact, there was a recent 60 Minutes report about cargo theft where 24,000 bottles of Guy Fieri\u2019s tequila vanished en route to a warehouse. It might sound like a quirky headline but the truth behind it isn\u2019t novel or isolated.\n\nAccording to CBS Iowa, trucking cargo theft incidents in our state are up 1,500% since 2021, part of a national surge that\u2019s costing billions. Everything from groceries and clothing to electronics and medical supplies is being stolen off trucks, railcars and warehouses before ever reaching store shelves. Three-quarters of Iowa trucking companies say they\u2019ve been hit in the past 18 months.\n\nWhen thefts like these multiply, we all pay more. Businesses lose inventory, insurance rates rise and the higher costs ultimately reach consumers. In a time when costs are already straining Iowa families and small businesses, this is one more problem we can\u2019t afford to ignore.\n\nThat\u2019s why I want to commend Sen. Chuck Grassley for his leadership on a common sense, bipartisan solution \u2014 the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA), which he cosponsors with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. CORCA would take aim at the root of the problem: organized crime networks that exploit gaps between local, state and federal enforcement.\n\nThe bill would create a national coordination center to help law enforcement agencies share intelligence, track stolen goods and recover lost cargo across state lines. It would also give the Department of Homeland Security new tools to pursue the sophisticated rings behind many of these thefts \u2014 rings that are increasingly tied to international criminal networks.\n\nAs the Association of American Railroads noted in support of the bill, \u201cCargo theft is not a victimless crime \u2014 it increases costs for consumers, endangers workers, and threatens the reliability of the supply chain.\u201d That\u2019s especially true for freight rail, which moves roughly 40% of U.S. long-distance freight and has faced its own rise in thefts targeting high-value goods.\n\nHere in Iowa, where agriculture, manufacturing and logistics are pillars of our economy, the stakes couldn\u2019t be higher. From the pork producers shipping products nationwide to the manufacturers relying on just-in-time deliveries, cargo theft is a drag on productivity and a hidden tax on everyone\u2019s bottom line.\n\nThe Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) believes in solutions that protect both economic growth and consumer well-being. CORCA does just that \u2014 strengthening law enforcement coordination, improving data sharing and helping safeguard the goods that keep our economy running.\n\nSen. Grassley\u2019s long record of practical problem-solving continues with this effort. His leadership ensures that Iowa\u2019s voice is shaping national policy on an issue that affects every business and every household in our state.\n\nCargo theft may make for an eye-catching headline, but the solution lies in steady, bipartisan work \u2014 and Iowa is once again helping lead the way.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/icymi-iowa-association-of-business-and-industry-endorses-grassleys-combating-organized-retail-crime-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.1111201494932175, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}