Uber, Lyft regulations head to Louisiana governor’s desk

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A three-year fight in the Louisiana Legislature over creation of statewide regulations for ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft has ended with the proposal's passage.

The measure by Houma Republican Rep. Tanner Magee is aimed at expanding the services to more areas, particularly smaller, rural communities.

Continued pressure from lawmakers in regions that don't have the transportation networks or widespread tax availability helped break the stalemate in the Senate, which had previously stalled the bill.

A 98-0 House vote Monday sent the legislation to the governor. Supporters say 44 other states have the statewide regulations.

The lone opponent this session was Kenner Republican Sen. Danny Martiny. He argued the bill improperly puts regulatory authority with the transportation department, rather than the Public Service Commission.