In an effort to give the car rental industry a stronger voice in the political arena, the Association for Car and Truck Rental Independents and Franchisees (ACTIF) has added several new features to its Web site (www.actif.org).

By clicking on "Legislative Update," car rental operators can now access ACTIF analyses and summaries of pending federal and state legislation that would affect the car rental industry. You have the option of calling up a list of your elected representatives by typing in your zip code.

Then, you can send a pre-written e-mail message expressing ACTIF's position on a given bill, or you can write your own message. After entering contact information in the appropriate fields, you simply click on "Send Message" and the e-mail is sent to your representatives. Those preferring "snail mail" can print out the message and drop it in the mail with postage.

New Web site features also include an online Congressional directory and contact information for federal departments and agencies. You can also access a listing of local media outlets, including radio and TV stations and newspapers, by typing in your zip code. This feature is intended to help ACTIF members promote their business through press releases.

In addition, ACTIF hopes members will help promote association events by sending pre-written press releases to media outlets in their area.