Bi-Partisan Congressional Vehicle Data Access Caucus Created
Reps. Buddy Carter (R-GA) and Darren Soto (D-FL) on February 7, 2023 established the “Congressional Vehicle Data Access Caucus” to bring together interested legislators and stakeholders – including ACRA – to seek consensus on federal vehicle data access legislation. Reps. Carter and Soto are members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over consumer protection and competition issues such as vehicle data access. Reps. Carter and Soto sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to other members of the House of Representatives (Carter/Soto VDA Caucus Dear Colleague) inviting them to join the VDA Caucus.
Since its establishment, 6 additional members of the House have joined the VDA Caucus. The VDA Co-Chairs also issued a press release that included a quote from ACRA Board Member Jennifer Gelder in support of the Caucus and the collaborative legislative process (Carter VDA Press Release).
ACRA Comments on GSA/DOD GHG Proposal
ACRA joined with AALA and TRALA on February 13, 2023 to file comments with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) with respect to a proposal that entities contracting with these federal agencies track and report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Similar to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposal in 2022, the GSA/DOD proposal seeks to further the Biden Administration’s climate change policy goals by regulating CO2 without specific authorization from Congress.
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a similar GHG regulatory scheme for power plants in 2022 and there is little doubt that the SEC and GSA/DOD proposals will not survive expected legal challenges if and when they are finalized. Nonetheless, ACRA’s Board agreed it was important for ACRA to comment on the proposals (Joint GSA Comments) preserve future options for legal action.
Congressional Focus on Car Rental Reservation Terms
Late in 2022, Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) introduced a series of bills to impose aggressive regulation of the travel industry in general, and the airline and car rental industry specifically. H.R. 9635, the “Rental Car Consumer Protection Act” (https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/9635?s=5&r=3) was introduced by Rep. Porter on December 20, 2022. This bill would make it an “unfair trade practice” under the Federal Trade Commission Act for a car rental company to fail to deliver a vehicle to a customer within 30 minutes of the vehicle’s reservation time. The bill provided no exceptions to this rule – for weather, flight delays, vehicle accidents, late returns, or other issues that could delay the delivery of a rental car to a customer. No other members of the House co-sponsored this bill by Rep. Porter and it “died” at the end of the last Congress. To date, Rep. Porter has not re-introduced her bill in 2023, but she is rumored to be considering a run for the open Senate seat in California and such a populist – if unworkable – bill could be attractive to her as she pursues higher office. ACRA is in the process of discussing the shortcomings of H.R. 9635 with key members of the House and Senate.
Federal Vehicle “Right to Repair” Bill Re-Introduced
Rep. Dunn (R-FL) re-introduced federal vehicle “right to repair” legislation, H.R. 906, on February 9, 2023 (https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/906?s=10&r=1). While ACRA conceptually supports one of the goals of this bill – guaranteeing access to vehicle repair and maintenance data by vehicle owners – ACRA has joined with other fleet associations in remaining neutral on H.R. 906 and pressing for more comprehensive federal vehicle data access legislation through the Congressional Vehicle Data Access Caucus.
2023 International Car Rental Show – Save the Dates
The 2023 ICRS will be held at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, NV from April 16 – 18, 2023. Save the date and plan to join your international car rental colleagues in Vegas for yet another great conference! Be Advised! When ACRA members register for the 2023 ICRS, they must contact Sharon Faulkner before registering to obtain the registration discount code for ACRA members. If you register for the 2023 ICRS and then try to secure the ACRA member discount, your request will not be permitted. So, rejoin ACRA, get the ACRA discount code prior to registering for ICRS, and enjoy the full benefits of your ACRA membership! Click Here To Register.
2023 ACRA D.C. Car Rental Conference – Change of Dates — Mark Your Calendars!
Based on the success of this year’s 2022 ACRA D.C. Car Rental Conference, planning is underway already for the 2023 Conference. Details to follow, but the dates have changed due to the 2023 congressional calendars. Please mark your calendars for October 22 — 25, 2023 and plan to join your ACRA colleagues in Washington, D.C.
ACRA Membership Activity
New Regular Operator Members:
- Indy Van Rental, Indianapolis, IN
- Lucky Owl Car Rental, Honolulu, HI
- Lux Motor Cars & Leasing Inc. dba Green Motion Car & Van Rental, Arcadia, CA
- Mi Auto Su Auto, LLC, Phoenix, AZ
- Missoula Adventure Rentals, Missoula, MT
- Prime Auto Sales, Las Vegas, NV
- RideShare Carz, Garland, TX
Renewed Associate Members
- Ally Auto Remarketing, Detroit, MI
- Carwiz International, LTD, San Diego, CA
- Chrysler Group LLE EWT, Worldwide
- Collateral Consultants, Cooper, TX
- Dent Wizard, International, LTD, San Diego, CA
- GMI Insurance, Valley Forge, PA
- Hull & Co. (Mile High Markets), Greenwood Village, CO
- PurCo Fleet Services, Inc., Spanish Fork, UT
- RateGain Technologies Limited, India
Renewed Regular Operator Memberships
- ACE Rent A Car, Inc.
- Auto Rental Services, LLC, Dollar Thrifty Car Rental Omaha, NE
- Avis Budget Car Rental Group, Parsippany, NJ
- Avis Rent A Car, Fargo, ND
- Budget Car Rental, Norwalk, CA
- City Rent A Truck, Kansas City, MO
- Datura Auto Sales and Rentals, West Palm Beach, FL
- Edge Auto Rental Company, Brooklyn, NY
- Famous Rent A Car, Columbia, TN
- Go Rentals, Newport Beach, CA
- Hertz Corporation, Newport Beach, CA
- Kuehn Rental, LLC, Rochester, MN
- LA Auto Spot, Hawthorne, CA
- Larson Enterprises, Inc. dba Avis Rent A Car, MT
- Premiere Luxury Car Rentals LLC, Fulton, MO
- Ride Rental Cars, Danville, VA
- Roam Auto Rental, Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Spinners, Inc. dba Budget Car Rental, Cedar Rapids, IA
- Travelers Autobarn LLC, Australia
- Wing Auto LLC, Falfurrias, TX
