SOFT ON CRIME: Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs Vetos Bill to Increase Penalties on Organized Retail Theft Repeat Offenders
Katie Hobbs on Tuesday vetoed Senate Bill 1414 which would have increased penalties for repeat offenders of Arizona’s organized retail theft law.
The legislation would deem that “a person who is convicted of a third or subsequent violation of organized retail theft with the intent to resell or trade the stolen merchandise to be sentenced as a category two repetitive offender,” as opposed to current law, which classifies repeat offenders as a category one repetitive offender “for the second and subsequent offenses.” Category two offenders receive harsher sentences.
Hobbs wrote in a veto letter, “Today, I vetoed Senate Bill 1414. I have signed Sen. Gowan’s bill SB1411 establishing an Organized Retail Theft Task Force in the Attorney General’s office that will be critical to adequately and appropriately combat this issue. Their first report is due July 1, 2025 and I look forward to reviewing their policy recommendations and working together to find balanced policies for this matter.”
However, the bill she signed into law only establishes a task force in the Attorney General’s office. It does nothing to punish repeat offenders like SB1414.
The bill summary states:
Purpose
Requires a person who is convicted of a third or subsequent violation of organized retail theft with the intent to resell or trade the stolen merchandise to be sentenced as a category two repetitive offender.
Background
Current statute classifies a person who is convicted of multiple felony offenses that were not committed on the same occasion, but that are either consolidated for trial purposes or are not historical prior felony convictions, as a first time felony offender for the first offense and a category one repetitive offender for the second and subsequent offenses. A person who is at least 18 years of age or who has been tried as an adult must be sentenced as: 1) a category two repetitive offender if the person stands convicted of a felony and has one historical prior felony conviction; or 2) a category three repetitive offender if the person stands convicted of a felony and has two or more historical prior felony convictions (A.R.S. § 13-703).
A person commits organized retail theft if the person acting alone or in conjunction with another person: 1) removes merchandise from a retail establishment without paying the purchase price with the intent to resell or trade the merchandise for money or other value; or 2) uses an artifice, instrument, container, device or other article to facilitate the removal of merchandise from a retail establishment without paying the purchase price. Organized retail theft is a class 4 felony (A.R.S. § 13-1819).
A category two repetitive offender who is convicted of organized retail theft carries a presumptive imprisonment sentence of 4.5 years and an aggravated imprisonment sentence of 7.5 years. The fine for a felony may be up to $150,000 (A.R.S. §§ 13-703 and 13-801).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
- Requires a person who is convicted of a third or subsequent violation of organized retail theft with the intent to resell or trade the stolen merchandise to be sentenced as a category two repetitive offender.
- Becomes effective on the general effective date.
This is one of the ten measures Katie Hobbs rejected on Tuesday alone. As The Gateway Pundit reported, Hobbs vetoed several common-sense bills on Tuesday, including SB2581, which would require proof of residency to vote in Arizona elections; SB1129, which would protect homeowners by allowing them to remove an unlawful occupant or a “squatter” from their property; and SB1182, which would have protected girls’ showers from biological males in public K-12 schools.
Per Axios, Hobbs vetoed a total of 143 bills last year. As of Tuesday, she has vetoed 195 bills since taking office last January, shattering Democrat Janet Napolitano’s previous record of 181 vetoes during an entire four-year term.
Per Arizona Daily Star:
Other bills the governor rejected Tuesday include:— SB 1340 prohibiting the investment of public funds in any state-owned or company domiciled within a “foreign adversary’’ as determined by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce under federal law. That includes China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuelan politician Nicolas Maduro. It also would bar putting money into a bank that has a principal place of business in a foreign adversary.— SB 1060 which would have given candidates for federal office the ability to send an observer to watch the ballot-counting process. That is now limited to those designated by political parties.— HB 2328 would have allowed mobile food vendors to set up on private property in residential areas, something now prohibited. Rep. Kevin Payne, R-Peoria, said it included safeguards, including requiring the permission of the property owner who would have to remain at the site.
The post SOFT ON CRIME: Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs Vetos Bill to Increase Penalties on Organized Retail Theft Repeat Offenders appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.