greg abbott

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is prepared to override Austin City Council’s decision to impose FBI fingerprint-based background checks on ridesharing drivers. In an interview with CNBC, Gov. Abbott said:

“The issue’s not over…Republicans in the Texas Legislature have already raised proposals coming up in the next session to override the Austin vote.”

The Austin City Council decided to shake down Uber and Lyft by imposing a raft of onerous regulations on the platforms and their driver partners. Since then, there has been a shortage of transportation options and Austinites have had to wait in long lines for taxis, not to mention the thousands of Austinites who lost their part time jobs.

 “I’d just say the game is not over. It’s halftime, and we’ll see what happens in the second half.”

The Texas state legislature and Gov. Abbott can override the Austin City Council by enacting a statewide framework that prevents cities and municipalities from regulating ridesharing.