such civil action to the Federal Trade Commis-
sion and shall provide the Commission with a 
copy of the complaint. 
‘‘(B) EMERGENCY ACTION.—If prior notice 
is not feasible, the State attorney general shall 
provide notice to the Commission immediately 
upon instituting the action. 
‘‘(3) FTC INTERVENTION.—The Commission 
may—
‘‘(A) intervene in the action; 
‘‘(B) upon intervening—
‘‘(i) remove the action to the appro-
priate United States district court, if it 
was not originally brought there; and 
‘‘(ii) be heard on all matters arising in 
the action; and 
‘‘(C) file a petition for appeal. 
‘‘SEC. 1017. CRIMINAL LIABILITY FOR WILLFUL AND KNOW-
ING VIOLATION. 
‘‘Whoever willfully and knowingly gives false or inac-
curate information or fails to provide information which 
he is required to disclose under the provisions of this title 
or any regulation issued thereunder shall be subject to the 
penalty provisions as provided in section 112.
‘‘SEC. 1018. RELATION TO OTHER LAWS. 
‘‘(a) RELATION TO STATE LAW.—
‘‘(1) NO
EFFECT
ON
CONSISTENT
STATE 
LAWS.—Except as otherwise provided in subsection 
(b), this title does not annul, alter, or affect in any 
manner the meaning, scope or applicability of the 
laws of any State relating to rental-purchase agree-
ments, except to the extent those laws are incon-
sistent with any provision of this title, and then only 
to the extent of the inconsistency. 
‘‘(2) DETERMINATION
OF
INCONSISTENCY.—
Upon its own motion or upon the request of an in-
terested party, which is submitted in accordance 
with procedures prescribed in regulations of the 
Board, the Board shall determine whether any such 
inconsistency exists. If the Board determines that a 
term or provision of a State law is inconsistent, mer-
chants located in that State need not follow such 
term or provision and shall incur no liability under 
the law of that State for failure to follow such term 
or provision, notwithstanding that such determina-
tion is subsequently amended, rescinded, or deter-
mined by judicial or other authority to be invalid for 
any reason. 
‘‘(3) GREATER
PROTECTION
UNDER
STATE 
LAW.—Except as provided in subsection (b), for pur-
poses of this section, a term or provision of a State 
law is not inconsistent with the provisions of this 
title if the term or provision affords greater protec-
tion and benefit to the consumer than the protection 
and benefit provided under this title as determined 
by the Board, on its own motion or upon the peti-
tion of any interested party. 
‘‘(b) STATE LAWS RELATING TO CHARACTERIZATION 
OF TRANSACTION.—Notwithstanding the provisions of 
subsection (a), this title shall supersede any State law to 
the extent that such law—
‘‘(1) regulates a rental-purchase agreement as a 
security interest, credit sale, retail installment sale, 
conditional sale or any other form of consumer cred-
it, or that imputes to a rental-purchase agreement 
the creation of a debt or extension of credit, or 
‘‘(2) requires the disclosure of a percentage rate 
calculation, including a time-price differential, an 
annual percentage rate, or an effective annual per-
centage rate.
‘‘(c) RELATION TO FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 
ACT.—No provision of this title shall be construed as lim-
iting, superseding, or otherwise affecting the applicability 
of the Federal Trade Commission Act to any merchant 
or rental-purchase transaction.
‘‘SEC. 1019. EFFECT ON GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. 
‘‘No civil liability or criminal penalty under this title 
may be imposed on the United States or any of its depart-
ments or agencies, any State or political subdivision, or 
any agency of a State or political subdivision. 
‘‘SEC. 1020. COMPLIANCE DATE. 
‘‘Compliance with this title shall not be required until 
6 months after the date of the enactment of the Consumer 
Rental Purchase Agreement Act. In any case, merchants 
may comply with this title at any time after such date 
of enactment.’’.
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