The bill amends RCW 47.04.310 to regulate the fees that rental car companies can include in their rental agreements. It specifies that rental car companies may include separately stated surcharges, fees, or charges, such as child restraint system rental fees and applicable taxes, but they are prohibited from separately stating a vehicle license cost recovery fee. Additionally, the bill clarifies that rental car companies cannot imply that the state of Washington imposes any vehicle license cost recovery fee on customers. If a rental car company chooses to describe its actual costs related to licensing, titling, registering, and inspecting rental cars, it must include a disclaimer stating that these costs are not imposed by any governmental agency on the customer.

Furthermore, the bill introduces definitions for terms such as "child restraint system rental fee," "rental car," "rental car company," and "vehicle license cost recovery fee." It also outlines the conditions under which a rental car customer can cancel their reservation without penalty if a child restraint system is not available in a timely manner. Overall, the bill aims to enhance transparency in rental car agreements and protect consumers from misleading charges.

Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 47.04.310