Bills Seeking to Regulate Uber and Lyft Advance
The Georgia House Tuesday acted on two separate bills that would place new regulations on Uber and other smartphone-based, ridesharing companies.
House Bill 190 would require drivers to maintain insurance coverage of up to $1 million from the moment they commit to picking up a rider.
The Georgia House overwhelmingly approved the bill, despite objections from Uber and Lyft.
Uber spokesman Taylor Bennett said the bill would hurt its ability to operate in Georgia.
“This bill puts the interests of big insurance companies ahead of small business owners by needlessly driving up their costs to make a living,”said Bennett.
The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.
Another bill focuses on uncollected sales tax. The House Regulated Industries Committee voted in favor of HB 225, which would force Uber and Lyft – and its drivers – to begin turning over sales tax on fares. Either that or pay a fee.
After the vote, committee chair Howard Maxwell said Uber and Lyft must play by the same rules as traditional taxi and limo companies.
“As far as I know, we’ve not received a dime of sales tax revenue out of them. We need a level playing field,” said Maxwell. “They’ve got two options. Pay the sales tax or pay a fee per vehicle.”
Maxwell referred to it as compromise bill. He cited new language that gives Uber and Lyft more flexibility over how they conduct background checks on their drivers.
The full House could begin debate on the bill as early as Thursday.
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