The Committee on Public Works and Operations voted Jan. 28 to authorize an investigation into the alleged unauthorized operations of Museum Inc., which does business in the District as the ride-hailing app Empower.

Committee Chair Council Member Brianne Nadeau said the investigation will examine the extent of Empower’s alleged violations, the impact on riders, operators and the for‑hire vehicle industry, and will calculate the total amounts the company owes to the District in unpaid taxes, civil penalties and other fees. Nadeau stated, in the transcript, that those amounts “at least surpass a $100,000,000.”

Nadeau told the committee that the District prevailed in the D.C. Court of Appeals late last year, and that the court “ordered in no uncertain terms that Empower shall immediately cease operations as a digital dispatch service and private sedan business,” including a prohibition on using the Empower platform to provide rides that originate or terminate in the District until the company properly registers with the Department of For Hire Vehicles.

Despite that court decision, Nadeau said Empower has continued to operate and has escalated opposition strategies. She said committee staff have coordinated with the D.C. Attorney General’s Office and the Department of For Hire Vehicles as the committee begins document requests and plans public hearings in the first half of the year. The stated ultimate goal is for the committee to determine whether updates to District law are necessary to protect riders and enforce against unauthorized activity.

Nadeau moved to approve the unauthorized private-for-hire-vehicle investigation authorization resolution of 2025, and the committee recorded unanimous approval.