Americans for Tax Reform has led a coalition of 17 groups and activists in opposition to H.R. 1082, also known as “Sami’s Law.” If implemented, H.R. 1082 would undermine independent contractors nationwide and open the door for crushing federal regulation of the ridesharing industry. 

The coalition urges Congress to vote against H.R. 1082 and any of its provisions if proposed in separate bills. 

You can view the letter here and below. 

Dear Member of Congress,

We write in opposition to H.R. 1082, known as “Sami’s Law.”

This is not a safety bill. It is a bill to undermine independent contractors nationwide.

We urge you to vote against this legislation and any of its provisions if proposed in separate bills.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) want to rush H.R. 1082 through Congress without hearings or scrutiny.

H.R. 1082 would set up a federal taxicab commission to regulate Americans who use or provide ridesharing services. Ridesharing is already heavily regulated by state and local governments, and federal regulation is completely unwarranted. 

Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will stack the new 17-member federal regulatory commission with anti-independent contractor central planners. The Washington DC-based commission will work to saddle all 50 states with top-down federal regulations.

Ridesharing emerged in the first place because Americans were desperate to find an alternative to the corrupt taxi commissions and entrenched industry players who provided bad service at excessive cost. 

Private sector ridesharing services have voluntarily and proactively developed a full slate of safety features for riders and drivers, including but not limited to the name and photo of the driver, the make, model, and color of the vehicle, the license plate number, as well as the ability for riders to share their real-time trip status with family and friends who can see their exact location and time of arrival. 

By a 3-1 ratio, Americans rightly consider rideshare drivers to be independent contractors and not employees, according to a landmark Pew Research Center survey. The survey found that most Americans believe the government should use a light regulatory touch in this area of the economy. As noted by Pew, “the clear preference for a light regulatory approach among partisans in all camps is striking.”

As noted above, ridesharing is already heavily regulated at the state and local level. This bill would make it more difficult for Americans to earn a living as independent contractors. 

Sincerely,

Grover Norquist
President, Americans for Tax Reform

James L. Martin
Founder/Chairman, 60 Plus Association

Saulius “Saul” Anuzis
President, 60 Plus Association

Brent Wm. Gardner
Chief Government Affairs Officer, Americans for Prosperity

Ryan Ellis
President, Center for a Free Economy

Andrew F. Quinlan
President, Center for Freedom and Prosperity 

Curt Levey
President, Committee for Justice

Ashley Baker
Director of Public Policy, Committee for Justice

Thomas Schatz
President, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste

Katie McAuliffe
Executive Director, Digital Liberty

Adam Brandon
President, FreedomWorks

Mike Hruby
President, Free Jobs for Massachusetts 

Heather R. Higgins
CEO, Independent Women’s Voice

Andrew Langer
President, Institute for Liberty

Seton Motley
President, Less Government

Tom Hebert
Executive Director, Open Competition Center 

Roslyn Layton, PhD Aalborg University
Senior Contributor, Forbes