ENHANCING SAFETY FOR RIDESHARE PASSENGERS Speaker: Congressman Josh Gottheimer Publication: Congressional Record Date: 15 December 2022 Subjects: American Government , Safety, Taxicabs & Limousines Topic: Uber |
(Mr. GOTTHEIMER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.) Mr. GOTTHEIMER. Mr. Speaker, the House voted this week on the bipartisan Sami's Law, which I am proud to have co-led, to enhance safety for rideshare passengers. Sami's Law has been named to honor Samantha Josephson, a senior at the University of South Carolina, originally from New Jersey, who was kidnapped and brutally murdered by a man pretending to be her Uber driver. Under Sami's Law, all rideshare services will be required to adopt digital systems that allow passengers to verify the vehicle before they get into the car, make it illegal to sell ridesharing signs without authorization, and create a U.S. Department of Transportation council to ensure safety measures stay current. The bill also mandates State-issued front license plates for rideshare vehicles and illuminated windshield signs visible day and night. It will examine the prevalence of assault and abuse perpetrated by rideshare drivers and passengers. We must ensure our residents in New Jersey's Fifth District and nationwide are safe when using rideshare. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support commonsense measures like these to ensure the terrible tragedy that befell Samantha Josephson never happens again.