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Massachusetts Lawmakers Agree on New Rules for Uber and Lyft

At the 11th hour, House and Senate lawmakers reached a deal on rules governing ride-for-hire services like Uber and Lyft. The final product calls for a state-run driver background check and establishing a 20-cent-per-ride fee on the companies.

Up against a midnight deadline before formal legislative sessions ended for the year, House and Senate lawmakers reached a deal on rules governing ride-for-hire like Uber and Lyft late Sunday night.
 
The two chambers each quickly approved of the compromise bill, bringing a hurried close to one of the state’s most high-profile political debates and sending a bill to Gov. Charlie Baker’s office that would establish the first statewide laws for the services.
 
The final product came from a six-member committee of House and Senate negotiators who ironed out the differences between the chambers’ dueling “Uber bills,” settling on a state-run driver background check and establishing a 20-cent-per-ride fee on the companies.
 
Uber and Lyft — which have left cities across the country over regulations they consider overly burdensome — supported the Senate’s approach to the bill while decrying the House’s proposal in the weeks leading up to the compromise.
 
Elizabeth Daigneau is GOVERNING's managing editor.
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