SLR 2014 FALL MEETING
Park City, UT
Client Information
Organization Name: Avis Budget Group, Inc.
Name and Title: Robert E. Muhs, Esq., Vice President Government Affairs,
Corporate Compliance & Business Ethics
Short Description of Organization:
We are a global provider of vehicle and truck rentals as well as car share services through our subsidiary
brands Avis, Budget, Budget Truck, Payless and Zipcar.
Short Bio:
Bob Muhs currently serves as the Vice President, Government Affairs, Corporate Compliance & Business
Ethics for Avis Budget Group, Inc., its subsidiary brands Avis Rent A Car System, LLC (“Avis”), Budget
Rent A Car System, Inc. (“Budget”) Budget Truck Rental (“Budget Truck”), Payless Car Rental (“Payless”)
and Zipcar. Avis Budget Group, Inc. is a public company operating in 176 countries.
Bob joined the rental car industry in 1994 when he was hired by Avis Rent A Car System, Inc. as the
Director of Government Affairs and served in that position until March 2001 when he was promoted to
the position of Vice President, Government Affairs.
In his role with Avis Budget Group, Inc., Bob is responsible for all federal and state government relations
activities for the Company which includes but is not limited to directing lobbying efforts before the
United States Congress, the 50 states, Puerto Rico, Canada. Most of the concentration of government
affairs activity for Avis Budget Group is in the domestic United States. In addition to directing lobbying
activities, Bob is also responsible for oversight of all government inquiries.
In addition to his legislative affairs activities, Bob is responsible for the overall development and
implementation of the company’s global Compliance Program and regularly trains and advises the
business on a myriad of topics including but not limited to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the UK
Bribery Act as well as conducting regular risk assessments, reviewing and deploying the Code of Conduct
and a variety of other matters.
Bob serves as the Chairman of the Company’s Diversity Committee charged which reviewing and
investigating each and every customer complaint which alleges discrimination to ensure compliance
with the company’s “zero tolerance for discrimination” policy and is a member of the company’s overall
Diversity Committee.
In 2005, Bob was honored by Auto Rental News, the rental car trade publication, with its Executive
Leadership Award.
Bob served as a Commissioner of the California travel and Tourism Commission until June 2014 and
served on the Commission’s Executive and Audit Committees, was the President of the Virginia Car and
Truck Renting and Leasing Association, is a member of the Board of Directors of the California Travel
Industry Association. Bob also serves on the Board of Directors of Fueling California: A Consumer
Alliance for Responsible Fuel Policy.
Prior to joining Avis in 1994, Bob was in private practice in a small boutique law firm in Queens County
New York.
Prior to practicing law, Bob served as the Senior Regional Coordinator for the New York State Assembly
Minority Leader and as a Legislative Assistant to the New York State Senate Transportation Committee.
Bob is a graduate of Nassau Community College, St John’s University and Touro College, Jacob D.
Fuchsberg Law Center and is admitted to practice law before the courts of the State of New York and in
the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York and admitted as an in-house counsel
in New Jersey pursuant to the New Jersey rules of court.
Bob is married to his wife Nancy and they live in northern New Jersey with their three children.
Legislative Successes Over the Years
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Vehicle License Fee Recovery Legislation in Minnesota
Vehicle License Fee Recovery Legislation in Connecticut
Vehicle License Fee Recovery Legislation in California
Vehicle License Fee Recovery Legislation in Nevada
Removal of Damage Waiver Cap in Indiana
Raising the Cap on Damage Waive in Nevada
Raising the Cap on Damage Waiver in California
Damage Waiver Law in Illinois
Vicarious Liability Cap reform legislation in Florida
Vicarious Liability Cap Reform legislation in Rhode Island
Concession recovery fee law in North Carolina
Killing tax increase proposal in Pittsburgh
Concession Recovery law in California
Concession Recovery law in New York
Rewriting implanting ordinance for the Kansas City Rental car tax
Damage Waiver Law in New York
Hot Issues:
Insurance law, tax code, human resources and particular wage and hour issues, recalls, vehicle
inspections, cybersecurity and privacy
States (where you are looking for representation or where you have issues):
What we look for in lobbyists are well respected teams that can and do work across party lines and cross
functional committees. With the acquisition of Zipcar, we are also increasing focused on lobbyists who
also have the ability to work with municipalities or can guide us to local lobbyists to supplement state
lobbying efforts.
Contact Information:
Email: robert.muhs@avisbudget.com
Invited By:
Doug Bell, Pennington, P.A. (FL)