This story discusses sexual assault. If you’ve been sexually assaulted, you can call the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network helpline at 800-656-4673 or chat with someone from RAINN online at https://hotline.rainn.org/online for support.

Six Nebraska women state lawmakers joined more than 275 legislators nationwide in urging U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to remove a provision they say could jeopardize safety for Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing app drivers and passengers.

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Nebraska State Senators Machaela Cavanaugh, Megan Hunt, Margo Juarez, Kathleen Kauth and Margo Juarez, all of Omaha, and Lincoln state Senator Danielle Conrad joined the national call against an amendment to limit when rideshare companies can be held responsible. Women lawmakers from more than 40 states and one territory signed.

The state legislators’ letter, dated Monday, argues the proposal from U.S. Representative Vince Fong, R-Calif., would make it harder, if not impossible “in the cases that matter most,” to hold multibillion-dollar rideshare corporations accountable in court when a passenger or driver is sexually assaulted.

“We hold different views on many things,” the letter reads. “On this we do not differ: under no circumstances should any corporation be shielded from liability for sexual assault.”

The state call is mirrored by a separate letter from 128 congressional Democrats last week urging Johnson to remove the provision from the “BUILD America 250 Act” before it comes to the House floor. The overarching bill is a five-year surface transportation bill that invests in roads, bridges, rail transportation and other infrastructure.

“I hope that Speaker Johnson reads the letter [and] pays attention to the fact that there are unintended consequences with that amendment that I think will hurt people across the country,” Kauth told the Nebraska Examiner.

Fong argues that roughly one-third of a rideshare fare in California, and nearly one-half of a fare in Los Angeles, goes toward government-mandated insurance costs. His office said the change would reduce costs by curbing “limitless, frivolous litigation” against rideshare companies.

Safety over a ‘bottom line’

The state legislators’ letter cites an August 2025 New York Times investigation, built on sealed court records, that found that more than 400,000 Uber trips in the nation generated reports of sexual violence between 2017 and 2022. That’s an average of roughly one report every eight minutes. In the same period, Uber self-disclosed 12,500 reports, the lawmakers said.

A federal jury ordered Uber to pay $8.5 million to an Arizona passenger who said a driver raped her. In April, a separate jury found Uber liable for a sexual assault in North Carolina.

Kauth, who chairs the Nebraska Business and Labor Committee, said rideshare corporations register drivers and are responsible for ensuring the right person is actually driving the car.

The potential problem also extends to other passengers, such as children or senior citizens who are using rideshares more, Kauth said. While companies are asking passengers and drivers, particularly women, for trust, she pointed to a lesson most learn young: be wary of strangers.

“It’s a huge issue to all of a sudden expect people to trust that we have to be able to trust it fully,” Kauth said.

Cavanaugh, in a statement, said that everyone who gets into a rideshare vehicle “deserves to know their safety matters more than a corporation’s bottom line.”

“Survivors of sexual assault deserve accountability, transparency and their day in court,” Cavanaugh said. “Congress should not be creating special protections for billion-dollar companies at the expense of people who have been harmed. No corporation should receive a free pass when it comes to sexual violence.”

State-level protections

The Fong amendment would also preempt, or override, certain state-level legislation, likely recent laws in Colorado and Virginia meant to boost accountability and safety precautions for drivers and passengers alike, the state legislators’ letter states.

Colorado, for instance, passed a law this year that allows fines against ride-hailing companies and sets requirements for driver background checks and disqualifications. The law also explicitly allows someone to sue a company even if they are fined.

Colorado state Representative Jenny Willford, a Northglenn Democrat, pushed the bill for two years after Willford said she was sexually assaulted during a Lyft ride in 2024. She sued the company.

Kauth said Willford helped organize the letter and reached out to women lawmakers nationwide. Kauth did not know other Nebraska women — four Democrats and one progressive nonpartisan — had signed on, and Kauth said she was disappointed to learn more Nebraskans didn’t join, though she’s not surprised given how busy the summer has been.

Fourteen women serve in Nebraska’s one-house Legislature — 29% of the chamber.

Though Kauth and some fellow Nebraska signers have found themselves on opposite sides of Nebraska debates, she said there will always be points of agreement.

“I think that’s a pretty common thing for people who get elected, is they want to do things to help people and help people who might be in vulnerable situations,” Kauth said.

As a committee chair, Kauth added that it does give her pause that the federal legislation could prevent local legislators from implementing extra protections or holding someone responsible.

“States’ rights are states’ rights for a reason,” Kauth said. “We should be the ones leading the charge, and I think it would be irresponsible for us to say, ‘Hey, we’re gonna be OK with just allowing anything to happen in those cars.’”