8 月的最后一天，加利福尼亚州立法机构批准了一项法案，该法案可能会从根本上改变 Uber 和 Lyft 等拼车公司在该州开展业务的方式。与试图规范拼车行业的其他法律或条例不同，加州法案没有提及指纹背景调查。相反，该法案将要求拼车公司拒绝因某些罪行而被定罪的司机。
该法案将使优步、Lyft 和其他拼车公司雇用已登记为性犯罪者的司机成为非法行为。它还将禁止这些公司雇用任何有酒驾罪或在过去七年中被判犯有暴力重罪的人。
该法案在会议的最后几个小时通过了立法机关，现在提交州长杰里·布朗批准。
据《洛杉矶时报》报道，该法案并未得到加州立法机构的完全支持。虽然该法案的作者和最高支持者认为这将有助于保证乘客的安全，但该法案的批评者表示，这将使前罪犯更难找到工作。像 Uber 和 Lyft 这样的公司已经让任何人只要有车和几个空闲时间就可以更容易地赚钱。然而，正如批评者所指出的，通过为这些公司的司机设定绝对界限，加州立法机构可能会阻止前罪犯利用机会过上诚实的生活。
议员吉姆·库珀（Jim Cooper）（该法案的作者）认为，此类立法对于为拼车服务的客户提供他们应得的保护和安心至关重要。优步和 Lyft 司机参与了多起性侵犯案件、人身攻击、死亡以及其他犯罪和事件。该网站谁在开车？致力于跟踪所有这些事件。库珀指出，2015 年在洛杉矶和旧金山进行的一项调查中，该地区的检察官梳理了优步司机的名单，发现有超过 22 人的犯罪记录很长。
如果布朗州长签署该法案，拼车公司将不得不对司机的背景调查更加严格。每次拼车公司雇用性犯罪者、酒驾犯罪者或在过去七年中被判有暴力重罪的人时，他们都会收到州政府的罚款。立法规定罚款金额最高可达 5,000 美元。
The bill would make it illegal for Uber, Lyft, and other ridesharing companies to hire drivers who are registered sex offenders. It would also bar these companies from hiring anyone with a DUI conviction or anyone who has been convicted of a violent felony in the past seven years.
The bill passed through the legislature in the final hours of its session, moving now to Governor Jerry Brown for approval.
According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, the bill didn't have the complete support of the California legislature. While the bill's author and top advocate argued that it would help to keep passengers safe, critics of the legislation said it would make it harder for ex-offenders to find jobs. Companies like Uber and Lyft have made it easier for anyone to make money if they have a car and a few free hours. However, as critics note, by setting absolute boundaries for who is allowed to drive for these companies, the California Legislature might prevent ex-offenders from taking an opportunity to make an honest living.
Assemblyman Jim Cooper—the author of the bill—argued that this type of legislation is vital to give customers of ridesharing services the protection and peace of mind that they deserve. Uber and Lyft drivers have been involved in multiple sexual assault cases, physical assaults, deaths, and other crimes and incidents. The website Who's Driving You? is dedicated to keeping track of all of these incidents. Cooper pointed to an investigation in Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2015 in which area prosecutors combed through lists of Uber drivers and found more than two dozen people with long criminal rap sheets.
If Governor Brown signs the legislation, ridesharing companies will have to be considerably stricter with their driver background checks. Every time a ridesharing company hires a sex offender, a person with a DUI conviction, or a violent felony conviction from the past seven years, they will receive a fine from the state. The legislation dictates that the fine amount can be up to $5,000.
