Committee reports favorably bill removing chauffeur's license requirement for taxi drivers
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Summary
A House committee reported House Bill 170 favorably after the bill's author said taxi owners sought parity with app-based drivers; supporters from the taxi industry spoke in favor and the motion passed with no objections.
House Bill 170, introduced by Representative Cox, would remove the state requirement that taxicab drivers obtain a chauffeur's license.
Representative Cox told the committee that taxi owners in her district asked for the change to create a level playing field with app-based drivers such as Lyft and Uber, who are not required to hold chauffeur's licenses. "I was contacted by members of the tax cab industry in my community In regards to the chauffeur's license...they requested just a level playing field," Cox said.
The committee heard in-person testimony from Frank Bormato and Jerome Jones and accepted additional support cards from Javin Folsom, Laurie Adams and Torella Ragus. Representative Chasson moved to report House Bill 170 favorably; the motion met no objections and the bill was reported favorably.
Committee members did not record additional amendments or a roll-call on the motion. The committee noted the presence of supporters and indicated staff would provide additional information if requested.