Rep. Grant Wehrli (R-Naperville) and State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Peru), along with several other legislators, held a press conference on Nov. 13 at the State Capitol to support the override of Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto of a bill involving car sharing.
Senate Bill 2641 amends the Renter's Financial Responsibility and Protection Act and the Illinois Vehicle Code by defining "motor vehicle rental company" when applying code to car rentals, according to the bill's language. The bill also would also provide obligations and liability requirements for peer-to-peer car companies.
Wehrli, Rezin, State Sen. Antonio Munoz (D-Chicago), Rep. Arthur Turner (D-Chicago), Jim East from Hertz, Jeff Wilder from Enterprise and Greg Scott from the American Car Rental Association all spoke at the press conference.
"It has been said that this piece of legislation is unfair to certain businesses and will dampen their growth here in Illinois. I am here to respectfully disagree with that," Wehrli said. "What this legislation will provide is a level playing field for all businesses to flourish in this great state. Regulation is something that we need to keep to a minimum, but regulation is here when we're talking about uninsured motorists or the recall component of this."
Wehrli said public safety is the number one priority and that the bill helps address those concerns that insured motorists are on the road through peer-to-peer car companies.
"While I would be in favor of removing all taxes on this type of industry, I don't think that's what this General Assembly is going to do so at the very least we should make it a level playing field," Wehrli said. "When the government puts its thumb on the scale and tips a business one way or the other that is an unfair advantage and needs to stop and this piece of legislation does that. I call on my colleagues to override this bill and I look forward to this going through the Senate and over to the House where we can override the governor's veto."
Rezin said the legislation not only creates fair competition for all car rental companies but will also push consumer protection practices for all companies within the industry.
"It's immensely important that consumers receive fair contracts and upfront pricing so they can make informed decisions when choosing a car rental service," Rezin said. "This legislation ensures customers get an upfront breakdown of costs and will not be stuck with that sticker shock at the end of the day."
East said it's important for car rental companies to be invested in the airports they service and they hope to see peer-to-peer companies make those same contributions.
Wilder said consumers deserve a transparent pricing model, no matter where the car they rent comes from.
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