I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3262 

To amend title 23, United States Code, to compel States to require illuminated signs and other measures on ride-hailing vehicles, to prohibit 

the sale of such signs, to require ride-hailing companies to implement 

an electronic access system on ride-hailing vehicles, and to be known 

as ‘‘Sami’s Law’’. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 13, 2019 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself and Mr. SUOZZI) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 

Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend title 23, United States Code, to compel States 

to require illuminated signs and other measures on ridehailing vehicles, to prohibit the sale of such signs, to 

require ride-hailing companies to implement an electronic 

access system on ride-hailing vehicles, and to be known 

as ‘‘Sami’s Law’’. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as ‘‘Sami’s Law’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. SANCTIONS FOR STATES WITHOUT RIDE-HAILING 

2 VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION LAWS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 1 of title 23, United 

4 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘§ 171. Sanctions for States without transportation 

7 network company vehicle identification 

8 laws 

9 ‘‘(a) WITHHOLDING OF FUNDS FOR NONCOMPLI10 ANCE.— 

11 ‘‘(1) FIRST FISCAL YEAR.—On the first day of 

12 the fiscal year that is two years after the date of en13 actment of this section, the Secretary shall withhold 

14 1 percent of the amount required to be apportioned 

15 to a State under each of paragraphs (1) and (2) of 

16 section 104(b) if the State does not meet the re17 quirements of subsection (b) on the first day of the 

18 fiscal year. 

19 ‘‘(2) SUBSEQUENT FISCAL YEARS.—On the first 

20 day of each fiscal year beginning 3 years after the 

21 date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 

22 withhold 2.5 percent of the amount required to be 

23 apportioned to a State under each of paragraphs (1) 

24 and (2) of section 104(b) if the State does not meet 

25 the requirements of subsection (b) on the first day 

26 of the fiscal year. 


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1 ‘‘(3) EFFECT OF WITHHOLDING OF FUNDS.— 

2 No funds withheld under this subsection from appor3 tionment to any State shall be available at any point 

4 for apportionment to that State. 

5 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—A State meets the require6 ments of this subsection if the Governor of the State cer7 tifies to the Secretary that the State has enacted and is 

8 enforcing the following laws with respect to TNC drivers 

9 and TNC vehicles operating in that State: 

10 ‘‘(1) FRONT AND REAR LICENSE PLATES.—A 

11 law requiring that every TNC vehicle has a duly 

12 issued general State license plate on both the front 

13 and rear of the vehicle. 

14 ‘‘(2) INSPECTION AND SIGN REQUIREMENTS.— 

15 A law requiring TNC drivers to present TNC vehi16 cles for inspection not later than 180 days after the 

17 date of enactment of such laws (unless the State has 

18 enacted and is enforcing a law meeting the require19 ments of this subsection on the date of enactment of 

20 this section) and annually thereafter. Such law shall 

21 include the following: 

22 ‘‘(A) A provision requiring each TNC driv23 er to affix the stickers containing the optical 

24 code or label provided to that driver (pursuant 

25 to section 3(1)(A) of Sami’s Law) on each winVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:03 Jun 18, 2019 Jkt 034408 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3262.IH H3262

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1 dow of the TNC driver’s vehicle adjacent to 

2 where passengers may sit. 

3 ‘‘(B) A provision that requires periodic 

4 safety inspections of the TNC vehicle performed 

5 at intervals of at least once each year. 

6 ‘‘(C) A provision that requires each TNC 

7 vehicle to display a consistent and distinctive 

8 sign at all times when the TNC driver is active 

9 on the TNC digital platform or providing any 

10 prearranged transportation service. Such sign— 

11 ‘‘(i) shall include the transportation 

12 network company’s proprietary trademark 

13 or logo; 

14 ‘‘(ii) shall be readable during daylight 

15 hours at a distance of 50 feet; 

16 ‘‘(iii) shall be illuminated so that it is 

17 patently visible in darkness; and 

18 ‘‘(iv) may be magnetic or removable in 

19 nature. 

20 ‘‘(D) A provision that does not permit a 

21 TNC driver to provide TNC services if the TNC 

22 vehicle does not pass such inspection. 

23 ‘‘(3) UNLAWFUL DISPLAY.—A law that pro24 hibits an individual who is not a TNC driver for a 

25 transportation network company from displaying on 


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1 any vehicle the sign described in paragraph (2)(C) 

2 that is affiliated with that company on any vehicle 

3 with the intent to pass himself or herself off as a 

4 TNC driver operating a TNC vehicle for the trans5 portation network company affiliated with that sign. 

6 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section— 

7 ‘‘(1) the term ‘TNC driver’ means an individual 

8 who is employed or contracted by a transportation 

9 network company to provide transportation services 

10 to the public through a TNC platform; 

11 ‘‘(2) the term ‘TNC platform’ means an online12 enabled application or digital network used to con13 nect riders to TNC drivers for the purpose of pro14 viding prearranged transportation services; 

15 ‘‘(3) the term ‘TNC vehicle’ means a vehicle 

16 owned, leased, or otherwise authorized for use by a 

17 TNC driver that the TNC driver uses to provide 

18 TNC services, also known as a ride-hailing vehicle; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(4) the term ‘transportation network com21 pany’— 

22 ‘‘(A) means a corporation, partnership, 

23 sole proprietorship, or other entity, that uses a 

24 digital network to connect riders to drivers af25 filiated with the entity in order for the driver 


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1 to transport the rider using a vehicle owned, 

2 leased, or otherwise authorized for use by the 

3 driver to a point chosen by the rider; and 

4 ‘‘(B) does not include a shared-expense 

5 carpool or vanpool arrangement that is not in6 tended to generate profit for the driver.’’. 

7 SEC. 3. ACCESS AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS FOR RIDE8 HAILING VEHICLES AND RIDE-HAILING COM9 PANIES. 

10 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

11 of this Act, each transportation network company shall es12 tablish and implement the following system, prohibition, 

13 requirement, and policy: 

14 (1) A system that enables each individual who 

15 uses a TNC platform to verify the identity of the 

16 TNC driver who is provided to such individual via 

17 that TNC platform, and such TNC driver to confirm 

18 the identity of such individual prior to the beginning 

19 of a trip. Such system shall include the following: 

20 (A) A machine-readable code or image, 

21 such as a QR code (or successor technology), 

22 that can be scanned by the individual hailing 

23 such driver, using a personal mobile device with 

24 a built-in camera. The transportation network 

25 company shall provide to each TNC driver forVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:03 Jun 18, 2019 Jkt 034408 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3262.IH H3262

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1 ward-facing window stickers containing such 

2 code or label. 

3 (B) The ability, via the transportation net4 work company’s TNC platform, to— 

5 (i) provide to each individual who is 

6 assigned a TNC driver via such platform 

7 the unique machine-readable code or label 

8 of that TNC driver; 

9 (ii) provide a means by which such in10 dividual may scan the machine-readable 

11 code or label displayed on the window 

12 sticker of the TNC vehicle, using the TNC 

13 platform on the individual’s personal mo14 bile device, to confirm the identity of the 

15 TNC driver who is assigned to the indi16 vidual prior to entering the vehicle; and 

17 (iii) restrict each TNC driver from 

18 commencing a trip until the individual who 

19 has opted to use and scan the machine20 readable code or label verifies the identity 

21 of the TNC driver by scanning the code or 

22 label. 

23 (2) A prohibition on a TNC driver from pro24 viding TNC services if the TNC vehicle of that drivVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:03 Jun 18, 2019 Jkt 034408 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3262.IH H3262

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1 er does not pass inspections required by the State in 

2 which the TNC driver’s vehicle is licenced. 

3 (3) A requirement that all TNC vehicles display 

4 a consistent and distinctive sign provided by the 

5 transportation network company at all times when 

6 the TNC driver is active on the TNC digital plat7 form or providing any TNC service. Such sign— 

8 (A) shall include the transportation net9 work company’s proprietary trademark or logo; 

10 (B) shall be readable during daylight hours 

11 at a distance of 50 feet; 

12 (C) shall be illuminated so that it is pat13 ently visible in darkness; and 

14 (D) may be magnetic or removable in na15 ture. 

16 (4) A policy to require that any sign described 

17 in paragraph (3) be returned to the transportation 

18 network company when a TNC driver ceases to be 

19 employed or contracted by such company. 

20 SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON SALE OF RIDE-HAILING SIGN. 

21 It shall be unlawful for any person other than a 

22 transportation network company to sell or offer for sale 

23 any sign described in section 3(3). 


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1 SEC. 5. UNFAIR OR DECEPTIVE ACT OR PRACTICE. 

2 A violation of a section 3 or 4 shall be treated as 

3 a violation of a rule defining an unfair or deceptive act 

4 or practice prescribed under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the 

5 Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)). 

6 The Federal Trade Commission shall enforce this Act in 

7 the same manner, by the same means, and with the same 

8 jurisdiction, powers, and duties as though all applicable 

9 terms and provisions of the Federal Trade Commission 

10 Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.) were incorporated into and 

11 made a part of this Act. Any person who violates section 

12 3 or section 4 shall be subject to the penalties and entitled 

13 to the privileges and immunities provided in the Federal 

14 Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.). 

15 SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 

16 For purposes of this Act— 

17 (1) the term ‘‘machine-readable code or image’’ 

18 means a machine-readable optical label that is 

19 unique to each TNC driver and the vehicle of such 

20 TNC driver and can be scanned using a personal 

21 mobile device with a built-in camera; 

22 (2) the term ‘‘personal mobile device’’ means 

23 any mobile device that an individual uses to connect 

24 to a TNC platform; 

25 (3) the term ‘‘QR code’’ means a machine-read26 able code or image also known as a quick response 


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1 code and consists of a matrix or two-dimensional 

2 barcode; 

3 (4) the term ‘‘TNC driver’’ means an individual 

4 who is employed or contracted by a transportation 

5 network company to provide transportation services 

6 to the public through a TNC platform; 

7 (5) the term ‘‘TNC platform’’ means an online8 enabled application or digital network used to con9 nect riders to TNC drivers for the purpose of pro10 viding prearranged transportation services; 

11 (6) the term ‘‘TNC vehicle’’ means a vehicle 

12 owned, leased, or otherwise authorized for use by a 

13 TNC driver that the TNC driver uses to provide pre14 arranged transportation services, also known as a 

15 ride-hailing vehicle; and 

16 (7) the term ‘‘transportation network com17 pany’’— 

18 (A) means a corporation, partnership, sole 

19 proprietorship, or other entity, that uses a dig20 ital network to connect riders to drivers affili21 ated with the entity in order for the driver to 

22 transport the rider using a vehicle owned, 

23 leased, or otherwise authorized for use by the 

24 driver to a point chosen by the rider; and 


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1 (B) does not include a shared-expense car2 pool or vanpool arrangement that is not in3 tended to generate profit for the driver. 

4 SEC. 7. GAO STUDY ON THE INCIDENCE OF ASSAULT AND 

5 ABUSE OF RIDE-HAILING RIDERS AND DRIV6 ERS. 

7 The Comptroller General of the United States shall 

8 conduct a study on the incidence of assault and abuse per9 petrated on drivers by riders using ride-hailing vehicles, 

10 and on such riders by drivers of ride-hailing vehicles, and 

11 shall submit a report to Congress not later than one year 

12 after the date of enactment of this Act. The report shall 

13 also examine— 

14 (1) the nature and specifics of any background 

15 checks conducted by ride-hailing companies on po16 tential drivers, including any State laws which may 

17 require such background checks; 

18 (2) incidences where individuals who are not 

19 ride-hailing drivers try to pose as ride-hailing driv20 ers; 

21 (3) incidences of ride-hailing passengers enter22 ing the wrong vehicle, whether or not the vehicle was 

23 a ride-hailing vehicle; and 

24 (4) efforts by ride-hailing companies to imple25 ment additional safety measures and practices and 


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1 of State and local governments requiring such meas2 ures, and the efficacy of those efforts, practices, and 

3 requirements. 

Æ 


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