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Rent to Own Online Government Workshop new Rent to Own and Government New Side By Side Comparison of Any State Statute to the Proposed Federal Legislation Related articles most recent first 109th Congress Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act of 2005 Introduced In Senate Opposing Forces; Two Groups At Legislative Odds 108th Congress Session Ends Without Passage Of Rental Purchase Agreement Act; Last Minute Efforts Nearly Win The Day Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Endorses Rental Purchase Agreement Act Rental Purchase Act Looses 5 Key Supporters Schrock And Clay Cosponsor Rental Purchase Agreement Act Text Of Landrieu Statement To The Senate Banking Committee Supporting The Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act "Even Congressmen Use Rent to Own"; Senator Mary Landrieu Opening Statement Audio Senate To Hear Testimony On Rental Purchase Agreement Act Today Virginia Senator Allen Endorses Rental Purchase Agreement Act; Hearing Scheduled For 22nd Washington Senator Patty Murray Cosponsors Rental Purchase Agreement Act; Senate Co-sponsor Count At 50% Shuster and Lampson Cosponsor Rental Purchase Agreement Act Senate Powerhouse Tom Daschle Cosponsors Rental Purchase Agreement Act; Senate Co-sponsor Count Nears 50% Six New Cosponsors For Rental Purchase Agreement Act North Dakota Democrat Senator Byron Dorgan Cosponsors S884; Senate Co-sponsor Count at 23 Missouri Republican Todd Akin Supports Rental Purchase Agreement Act Southern Democrats Co-sponsor Rental Purchase Agreement Act Rent to Own Industry Supporter Doug Bereuter Resigning House Seat For Private Sector Missouri Republican Senator Christopher Bond Cosponsors S884 Senate Co-sponsor Count at 22 Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act Co-Sponsor Rep. Tiberi Introduces "No Down Payment Act" Rent to Own Online Introduces New State Statute Application 20% of Lawmakers Co-Sponsor Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act Illinois Republican Becomes 82nd Representative to Co-sponsor HR996 11 Term Texas Democrat Becomes 81st Representative to Co-sponsor HR996 Oregon Republican Senator Gordon Smith Cosponsors S884 Senate Co-sponsor Count at 21 Six Term Democrat Tim Holden (PA) Becomes 80th Co-Sponsor of HR996 Senators Roberts and Craig Cosponsor S884 Industry Hits Goal of 20 Co-sponsors by Mid September Kansas Democrat Becomes 79th Co-Sponsor of HR996 Bayh and Baucus Bring Senate Cosponsor Count to 18 Oregon Republican Switches Sides and Becomes 78th Co-Sponsor of HR996 ; Total at 78 Iowa Republican Steve King Co-Sponsors HR996 ; Total at 77 North Dakota Democrat Kent Conrad Brings Senate Cosponsor Count to 16 Kansas Republican Sam Brownback Brings Senate Cosponsor Count to 15 2 More House Democrats Cosponsors HR996; Total at 76 11 New House Cosponsors HR996; Total at 74 Trent Lott (R-MS), Chuck Hagel (R-NE) Bring Senate Cosponsor Count to 14 update HR996 Sponsorship... What's The Real Number? HR996; Movement In House Unlikely Till Senate Gets Off Dime HR 996: Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act Thomas Carper (D-DE) Becomes 12th Senate Cosponsor of RTO Legislation Michael Crapo (R-ID) Becomes 11th Senate Cosponsor of RTO Legislation Avalanche of Co-Sponsors for Rent to Own Legislation During APRO Legislative Conference 32 More Stories on Rental Purchase Agreement Act The bill was first introduced by Representative Walter B. Jones of NC in May, 2001. Click here for Rep. Jones Home Page

Rent A Center, Rent Way and a significant number of independent Rent to Own dealers, representing a total of about 4,500 rental purchase locations in the United States, will form a coalition to continue support of the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act (Disclosure Bill). Christopher Korst, Rent A Center Senior Vice President and General Counsel said the as yet un-named group will hold it's first organizational meeting later this month. Among other things, the Coalition will plan a Legislative Conference to be held later this year.

According to Korst, the Coalition has no desire to form a competing trade association, but the companies involved feel an organized effort is necessary due to APRO's (Association of Progressive Rental Organizations) recent announcement that the trade association would no longer actively pursue federal legislation that contains minimum disclosure requirements - opting instead for a "Definition Bill" stating simply that a rent to own transaction is a lease. APRO developed the Definition Bill approach after Rent A Center and Rent Way resigned from the association in October, 2004.

Defining Rent to Own as a transaction separate and apart from retail has always been the holy grail of legislative efforts at all levels of government. But, say experts, a bill devoid of consumer protections will be difficult, if not impossible to pass.

Ron Waters, former APRO Director of Legislative Affairs, now an independent industry lobbyist, said "This has been tried before. The Rental Purchase Agreement Act started out as a definition bill." Waters explained that it was Congressional leadership from both sides of the isle that insisted on the addition of consumer protections such as minimum disclosure requirements. Waters added that stripping out those consumer protections will remove Democratic support from the bill and vastly decrease the likelihood of passage. "Without Democratic support, this bill will not pass," he said.

Both the Definition Bill supported by APRO and the Disclosure Bill supported by most rent to own dealers since 1985, have big up-sides. Business owners involved for years in the effort to bring national consistency to Rental Purchase regulations tell RTO Online that, if passed, APRO's Definition Bill would be a god-send. But they fear sending mixed signals to Washington. Jeff Lebaken, owner of Lebaken's Rent to Own in Wisconsin, a state where Rent to Own is regulated as a credit sale said "It's not about which legislation is better. Two separate tracks will flip the train." Lebeken believes that one industry supporting two mutually exclusive pieces of legislation sends a message that there is a lack of unity.

APRO President Shannon Strunk is adamant in his belief that two separate efforts by the same industry may actually improve the odds of favorable legislation. Strunk, APRO Executive Director Bill Keese, and General Counsel Ed Winn traveled to Washington D.C. last week to gauge opinions on the Definition Bill strategy. Strunk told RTO Online their objective was 3 fold. "We specifically went to Washington to make sure our strategy was viable, that it wouldn't interfere with anything we've done in the past or any other efforts occurring at the same time. We feel 100 percent certain from the answers we got that we will not be interfering." Strunk declined to name the representatives with whom the group met. Instead saying they met with "Seven offices." He added the meetings included Representatives, Senators and staff.

In an interview Tuesday, Christopher Korst expressed deep concern about the future of favorable Rent to Own legislation if two separate bills are put forward. "If the bill [APRO is] proposing had any chance whatsoever of passing, you might look at this differently, but it doesn't," he said. "What it does have is a significant likelihood of confusing people on Capitol Hill about what the rent to own industry really wants." Korst added that a Definition Bill will be viewed as an attempt to remove consumer protections negotiated by the industry over the past decade. "For 12 years, we've all been going to Washington, meeting with [congressional] staffs and coming 4-square behind the the Disclosure Bill that provides benefits to rental dealers in the form of a definition, and also benefits consumers in the form of disclosures and other protections," said Korst. He added that trying to introduce a Definition Bill to a different committee may cause other more serious problems. "Both [Chairman] Shelby and [Chairman] Oxley are going to object very strenuously to any attempt by any part of this industry to end-run their committee," he said.

The newly formed Coalition expressed a desire to work together with APRO on legislation. "On a number of occasions we have indicated our desire to work with APRO on a single bill and not against each other, " said Chris Korst. "I would hope that we can do that the future." As of press time, no such agreement has been reached.