Tell Governor Doyle to Veto the Anti-Consumer Rent-to-Own Bill

The anti-consumer rent-to-own legislation (SB 268) is a bad, bad bill. It is anti-consumer in that it does not disclose full interest costs to consumers who purchase this way, and it exempts rent-to-own businesses from the Wisconsin Consumer Act for purposes of repossession allowing it after only one weak attempt of contact. Rent-to-own businesses are predatory businesses ripping off the poorest in our state.

The bill isn't right or left. It has more to do with the culture at the State Capitol of pleasing those who make campaign contributions. Rent-to-own centers and their suppliers are big donors. Poor people are not.

Every session this bill dies with bipartisan opposition. The special interests raise it on the last day of session to confuse the legislature, as they did again this year. Usually, that doesn't work. This year it did.

On March 14, a group of twenty legislators - in a bipartisan manner - asked Governor Doyle to veto this measure.

Now you can tell Governor Doyle we don't want more Rent-to-Own Centers in Wisconsin.