subsection (b) or (c) of section 30118 (includ-
ing the vehicle identification number for the 
covered vehicle) by the rental company, whether 
by electronic means or first class mail. 
‘‘(C) SPECIAL RULE FOR WHEN REMEDIES 
NOT IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE.—If a notifica-
tion required under subsection (b) or (c) of sec-
tion 30118 indicates that the remedy for the 
defect or noncompliance is not immediately 
available and specifies actions to temporarily 
alter the vehicle that eliminate the safety risk 
posed by the defect or noncompliance, the rent-
al company, after causing the specified actions 
to be performed, may rent (but may not sell or 
lease) the motor vehicle. Once the remedy for 
the rental vehicle becomes available to the rent-
al company, the rental company may not rent 
the vehicle until the vehicle has been remedied, 
as provided in subsection (a). 
‘‘(D) INAPPLICABILITY
TO
JUNK
AUTO-
MOBILES.—Notwithstanding paragraph (1), this 
subsection does not prohibit a rental company 
from selling a covered rental vehicle if such ve-
hicle— 
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‘‘(i) meets the definition of a junk 
automobile under section 201 of the Anti- 
Car Theft Act of 1992 (49 U.S.C. 30501); 
‘‘(ii) is retitled as a junk automobile 
pursuant to applicable State law; and 
‘‘(iii) is reported to the National 
Motor Vehicle Information System, if re-
quired under section 204 of such Act (49 
U.S.C. 30504).’’. 
SEC. 4. MAKING SAFETY DEVICES AND ELEMENTS INOPER-
ATIVE. 
Section 30122(b) of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting ‘‘rental company,’’ after ‘‘dealer,’’ 
each place such term appears. 
SEC. 5. INSPECTIONS, INVESTIGATIONS, AND RECORDS. 
Section 30166 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (c)(2), by striking ‘‘or dealer’’ 
each place such term appears and inserting ‘‘dealer, 
or rental company’’; 
(2) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘or dealer’’ 
each place such term appears and inserting ‘‘dealer, 
or rental company’’; and 
(3) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘or to owners’’ 
and inserting ‘‘, rental companies, or other owners’’. 
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SEC. 6. RESEARCH AUTHORITY. 
The Secretary of Transportation may conduct a 
study of— 
(1) the effectiveness of the amendments made 
by this Act; and 
(2) other activities of rental companies (as de-
fined in section 30102(a)(11) of title 49, United 
States Code) related to their use and disposition of 
motor vehicles that are the subject of a notification 
required under section 30118 of title 49, United 
States Code. 
SEC. 7. STUDY. 
(a) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT.—Subsection (b)(2) 
of section 32206 of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 
21st Century Act (Public Law 112–141; 126 Stat. 785) 
is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (E), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(2) by redesignating subparagraph (F) as sub-
paragraph (G); and 
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(F) evaluate the completion of safety re-
call remedies on rental trucks; and’’. 
(b) REPORT.—Subsection (c) of such section is 
amended— 
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(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 
subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, and indent-
ing such subparagraphs, as so redesignated, an addi-
tional two ems from the left margin; 
(2) by striking ‘‘REPORT.—Not later’’ and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(c) REPORTS.— 
‘‘(1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later’’; 
(3) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘subsection 
(b)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraphs (A) through (E) 
and (G) of subsection (b)(2)’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) SAFETY RECALL REMEDY REPORT.—Not 
later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 
the ‘Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Car 
Act of 2015’, the Secretary shall submit a report to 
the congressional committees set forth in paragraph 
(1) that contains— 
‘‘(A) the findings of the study conducted 
pursuant to subsection (b)(2)(F); and 
‘‘(B) any recommendations for legislation 
that the Secretary determines to be appro-
priate.’’. 
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SEC. 8. PUBLIC COMMENTS. 
The Secretary of Transportation shall solicit com-
ments regarding the implementation of this Act from 
members of the public, including rental companies, con-
sumer organizations, automobile manufacturers, and auto-
mobile dealers. 
SEC. 9. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 
Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this 
Act shall— 
(1) be construed to create or increase any liabil-
ity, including for loss of use, for a manufacturer as 
a result of having manufactured or imported a 
motor vehicle subject to a notification of defect or 
noncompliance under subsection (b) or (c) of section 
30118 of title 49, United States Code; or 
(2) supersede or otherwise affect the contrac-
tual obligations, if any, between such a manufac-
turer and a rental company (as defined in section 
30102(a) of title 49, United States Code). 
SEC. 10. RULEMAKING. 
The Secretary of Transportation may promulgate 
rules, as appropriate, to implement this Act and the 
amendments made by this Act. 
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SEC. 11. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
The amendments made by this Act shall take effect 
on the date that is 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act. 
Æ 
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