Texas lawmakers are considering changing the way the state punishes residents who default on payments for furniture and merchandise rentals.
As The Texas Tribune reports,the law currently allows companies to pursue felony charges against furniture rental defaulters.
That means not making your payments on that sectional sofa could land you in prison—and critics say that punishment is overly harsh.
The notion of changing the law has gained support from both sides of the aisle in the Texas Legislature. State Sen. Konni Burton, a Colleyville Republican, said she doesn’t think one particular industry should have harsher penalties than others.
“We have a civil system for these kind of disputes,” she added.
Democrat Kirk Watson of Austin agrees, calling the prospect of being arrested for furniture payment defaults “enormously unfair.”
As of yet, the prospect of updating the law has not made it past the Legislature’s committee stage.
