Senate Passes Uber, Lyft Bill Over Law Enforcement Objections

Boston, MA - After several hours and dozens of proposed amendments, the Senate passed a bill upping regulations on mobile ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft.

As in other states, the Massachusetts debate is a contentious and highly funded effort pitting the new technologies of the so-called "rideshare" companies against the entrenched taxi industry and, most recently, state law enforcement agencies.

At least one amendment in the Senate bill passed Wednesday may somewhat mollify that last camp.

The big point of contention - fingerprint checks - are still not included in the final Senate bill, but it did add a state-run background check on drivers. As described by Boston.com, "The state would then run a secondary background check, essentially double-checking the investigation already done by the companies."

It comes after Boston and State Police joined to criticize the original form of the bill as "woefully insufficient."

Among the defeated amendments is a call to run fingerprint checks on Uber and Lyft drivers, a measure so opposed by the mobile ride-hailing services that both pulled out of Austin, Texas, over similar restrictions there.

Boston Police Commissioner William Evans, however, argued forcefully in favor of that practice, writing last week: "... the BPD has seen firsthand the value and benefit provided when drivers are subject to fingerprinting. Fingerprinting enables law enforcement agencies to view long term criminal history information that could ultimately disqualify an applicant. In the past year, thanks to the BPD's fingerprinting protocols, the BPD's Hackney Carriage Unit terminated and revoked licenses of three separate operators after fingerprint checks revealed criminal histories which included past arrests for rape, attempted murder and indecent sexual assault on a minor."

Really, nobody seems thrilled with the final version of the bill. Uber and Lyft provided appreciative, if not outright supportive, reactions to Boston.com, while a limo executive on the opposing side expressed disappointment.

The differences between the Senate bill and a previous Uber/Lyft regulations package passed by the House must now be reconciled the final bill goes to Gov. Charlie Baker.