Washington, D.C. - Congressman Derek Tran (D-CA-45) and Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL-13) led 25 members in a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries raising the alarm about a section in the surface transportation reauthorization bill, the BUILD America 250 Act (H.R. 8870), that would give rideshare companies immunity from any injury, sexual assault, or fatality that happens during a ride.

Read the full letter HERE.

"Congress should ensure that Americans retain their right to seek a remedy in court if a rideshare company fails to protect its customers or drivers. Uber alone received a report of sexual assault or sexual misconduct every 8 minutes over a 5-year period. Now they are facing more than 3,000 sexual assault claims in Federal and State Courts nationwide from passengers who claim they were sexually assaulted or harassed by Uber drivers. Our constituents deserve better," wrote the members.

Introduced by Representative Fong (CA-20), the relevant section of the BUILD America 250 Act would ensure that rideshare companies "shall not be liable under the law of any State or political subdivision thereof [...] for any harm to persons or property that results or arises out of the use, operation, or possession of a motor vehicle by an app-based driver," protecting companies from legal liability even when presented with concerning information about a driver in a criminal background check, motor vehicle background check, customer complaint, safety test, or internal complaint.

The provision would allow individuals who do not meet criminal or safety standards to continue operating as drivers. In the event of an incident, the company would not be held accountable, no matter its obligations to adequately screen drivers. H.R. 8870 was reported out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on May 22, 2026, with this language included, and awaits a floor vote by the full House.

As the Ranking Member for the House Small Business Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations, Representative Tran is dedicated to holding companies accountable for the safety of consumers. A consumer protection attorney by trade, Representative Tran fought for consumers and workers in the courtroom before being elected to Congress. Representative Tran led a letter, signed by the majority of the California Congressional delegation, urging leadership to strip the Fong Amendment from the BUILD America 250 Act.

The text of the full letter is below:

Dear Speaker Johnson and Minority Leader Jeffries,

We write to urge you to strip out a provision in Title I of the BUILD America 250 Act (H.R. 8870), that would endanger consumers across the United States. The provision, which faced bipartisan opposition in markup, would shield rideshare companies from liability for crashes and sexual assaults caused by their negligence.

This provision must be removed from the BUILD America 250 Act before it is considered on the House Floor. No corporation should be immune from accountability. Yet, this is exactly what Uber and other ride share companies are trying to do.

The bill, as currently written, includes a provision that says a rideshare company "shall not be liable […] for harm to persons or property" that happens during a ride. This provides rideshare companies with immunity from any injury, sexual assault, and fatality case, even if it was aware of a danger from any criminal background check, motor vehicle background check, customer complaint, safety test, or internal complaint.

Moreover, the provision expressly preempts State law. Though a rideshare company would still have to follow local laws regarding background checks, it would be immune from liability if it ignored red flags. Congress should ensure that Americans retain their right to seek a remedy in court if a rideshare company fails to protect its customers or drivers. Uber alone received a report of sexual assault or sexual misconduct every 8

minutes over a 5-year period.

Now they are facing more than 3,000 sexual assault claims in Federal and State Courts nationwide from passengers who claim they were sexually assaulted or harassed by Uber drivers. Our constituents deserve better. The Build America 250 Act must be amended, and this provision stripped, before it is considered by the Rules Committee or on the House Floor.

Sincerely,

DEREK T. TRAN

Member of Congress

ANNA PAULINA LUNA

Member of Congress

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