Majority Whip Clyburn Commends House Passage of Legislation to Make Ride-hailing Safer

Press Release

Today, U.S. House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn commended House passage of H.R.1082 -- Sami's Law. Named after University of South Carolina senior Samantha "Sami" Josephson who was kidnapped and murdered by a man impersonating a ride-hail driver, this bipartisan legislation will require ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft to deploy enhanced verification systems to protect passengers.

On March 29, 2019, the 21-year-old native of New Jersey got into the car of a man impersonating a ride-hail driver in Columbia, South Carolina. The driver was a predator who kidnapped and killed her. Sami was an exceptional student who planned to study at the Drexel University School of Law after graduating from the University of South Carolina. Her dream was to practice international law--a dream she will never get a chance to fulfill.

"The 2019 murder of Sami Josephson rocked the University of South Carolina community and devastated all who knew and loved her. Today, the U.S. House of Representatives honored her legacy by advancing safeguards to prevent a similar tragedy from ever happening again," said Majority Whip James E. Clyburn.

"Thank you to Congressman Chris Smith, my Republican colleague from Sami's hometown in New Jersey, for sponsoring this important legislation," Congressman Clyburn continued. "I would also like to thank Sami's parents, Marci and Seymour Josephson, for turning their agony into immense strength and commitment. I have met with them numerous times over the past three years and pray they find some comfort in knowing the House has acted to prevent a similar tragedy from happening in the future."

Sami's Law will make it illegal for anyone other than ride-hailing companies to sell company vehicle indicators to the public, preventing predators from impersonating authorized drivers. It also calls for ride-hailing companies to implement enhanced verification systems, such as a new code system that allows passengers to verify the authenticity of a vehicle before they get into the car.

Finally, Sami's Law requires the Department of Transportation set up an advisory council to develop performance standards for new ride-hailing passenger and driver verification systems.

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