Rep. Karen Lupton Urges Federal Government to Remove Rideshare Sexual Assault Liability Shield from Federal House Bill

ATLANTA - State Representative Karen Lupton (D-Chamblee) recently signed onto a letter with 285 female state lawmakers and 128 members of Congress in demanding the removal of rideshare sexual assault liability shields from a proposed federal house bill - the BUILD America 250 Act. The letter urges U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to reject the rideshare liability provision in the upcoming transportation bill.

"Amendment 041 proves that many of our lawmakers are not in their positions to serve the people - they serve big business," said Rep. Lupton. "No company should be able to lobby its way out of its responsibilities to its customers. Safety is the very least that we should expect."

Representative Lupton joined 285 female state legislators from 44 states and territories in a letter urging U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to strike Amendment 041 from House Resolution 8870, also known as the BUILD America 250 Act. The state lawmakers' letter was sent as 128 members of Congress delivered a parallel demand this week - a coordinated federal-state push against a provision that would shield rideshare companies from liability for harm on their platforms, including sexual assault.

Rep. Lupton, as well as the other lawmakers who signed onto the letter, note that the amendment would override rideshare safety laws enacted this year in Virginia and Colorado and that Congress acted four years ago - on a bipartisan basis - to guarantee survivors their day in court.

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

Rep. Lupton notes that a 2025 New York Times investigation found roughly 400,000 reports of sexual assault or misconduct tied to Uber trips from 2017 to 2022, or approximately one every eight minutes. Juries in Arizona and North Carolina have found Uber liable in driver sexual-assault cases this year, and thousands of survivor claims are consolidated in federal court. The proposed federal amendment's retroactive reach would extend its shield to harm that occurred before its enactment.

Representative Karen Lupton represents the citizens of District 83, which includes a portion of DeKalb County. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2022 and currently serves on the Education, Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications and Human Relations & Aging committees.

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