Jay Roberts to Re-Introduce Flea Market Bill

In bill related to Chairman Larry O’Neal’s organized retail crime (ORC) bill, Representative Jay Roberts, House Majority Caucus Chairman, has agreed to re-introduce legislation in 2008 that would limit the sale of certain items at flea markets.

Once organized retail crime rings steal merchandise from stores, they commonly sell the goods at flea markets or through online auction sites. According to NRF’S ORC survey, 61 percent of retailers have identified or recovered stolen merchandise from a fence location, up from 59 percent last year. And nearly three out of four retailers (71%) also say they’ve identified or recovered stolen merchandise from an eFence operation, up from 67 percent last year. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to trace the volume of items sold through flea markets, event though it is known to be substantial.
 
Selected “hot products” such as medical testing kits, baby formula, pain relievers, premium razor blades, consumer electronics, over the counter medications, recorded video, games and music, film, name brand power tools and logo/brand apparel are the most frequently targeted goods. Likewise, certain stores such as drug, food, and mass merchant stores are heavily targeted for theft due to their carrying hot items, easy access, and low-risk (of apprehension) environments.

House Bill 475 filed by Representative Roberts during the last session would have banned the sale of baby formula, baby food and medicines at flea markets. We expect to see similar language in next year’s bill.