Garret Graves: “Mr. Chairman, think about the statement that the opposition makes, that this amendment releases the rental industry…”

“Mr. Chairman, think about the statement that the opposition makes, that this amendment releases the rental industry except in the case of negligence. Think about that for just a minute. They should be liable in the case of negligence. They should not be liable for the action of their drivers. The fact of the matter is, there are no uninsured vehicles on the road. In the case of an individual's car, you have a choice of who you are going to loan that car to. A rental company has to rent to a qualified driver. If they have a driver's license and they meet the State's minimum requirements, they have to rent to them. Mr. Chairman, it is frustrating when there is so much misinformation out there about bills like this. There are three points that I want to make and I want to be very clear on. Just remember, rental car companies do not put drivers on the road. States do. Rental car companies put cars on the road. They should not be liable for the action of the drivers. They should be liable for their negligence or for their equipment, but they should not be liable for the action of their drivers. Second, there are no uninsured rental vehicles on the road today. Those vehicles, before they can even be registered, have to meet the State's minimum requirements for insurance. That is up to the States. Let the States deal with that, just as what was pointed out. But there are no uninsured rental vehicles on the roads today.”