By Staff Report Monday, August 22nd, 2016

U.S. Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, was honored Aug. 19 by Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety for her leadership in helping pass the Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Car Act of 2015.

Since 2012, Capps has been working with Ventura County resident Cally Houck, whose daughters Raechel and Jacqueline Houck were killed in a 2004 crash while driving a rental car that had been under safety recall for a defective steering component prone to catching fire.

The 2015 Safe Rental Car Act forbids rental car companies from renting or selling vehicles subject to recall. The act also gives the secretary of the Department of Transportation the authority to inspect rental car company safety records and conduct investigations into those records.

The act also orders a seven-year study on the safety of rental trucks.

• Contact Philip Joens at pjoens@pacbiztimes.com.