Thomas E. Petri: “the Real Interstate Driver Equity Act of 2001 (H.R. 2546) was introduced by Representative Roy Blunt of Missouri. This…”

“the Real Interstate Driver Equity Act of 2001 (H.R. 2546) was introduced by Representative Roy Blunt of Missouri. This legislation is needed to solve a problem that arises when a for-hire vehicle, usually a limousine or sedan, travels across a state line in interstate commerce. As the law is written today, state and local jurisdictions can require for-hire vehicles to be licensed in multiple states. In some instances, if they do not pay for additional licenses they can only drop their passenger in another state. They cannot make incidental stops. They cannot return the same passenger to the state of origin. An example that illustrates the problem with the current framework is that of a traveler who arranges to be picked up at an airport. On the way home to another state, they wish to stop and have dinner within the same state in which they arrived. This seems like a reasonable situation. What could go wrong with this arrangement? Unfortunately, that stopover could result in the car being ticketed, towed and impounded. The customer is stranded to look for a way to get home and the car service is left without a car and with hundreds or even thousands of dollars in fines and fees. This is not a fair practice and H.R. 2546 corrects the problem. For-hire vehicles providing prearranged ground transportation should be able to engage in interstate commerce.”