While budget bills, gun control, tax increases, business regulations, forced paid leave, bonding bills, and pro-pedophile language have been the focus of most Minnesotans watching the Legislature, there is another bill sneaking its way through committees that would make Minnesota even more unaffordable.

Senator Omar Fateh (SD65) is an admitted Socialist who is a known snake in the Capitol. Fateh has faced ethics complaints in the past and had deep connections to the ‘Feeding Our Future’ scam. He has been one of the individuals who have led the Minnesota Democrats to the radical Left towards tyranny and government control.

Fateh is one of several Legislators leading the charge on the Socialist takeover of rideshare companies Uber and Lyft. SF2319 would require all kinds of new regulations and costs for Uber and Lyft that would make them unaffordable in our state. 

If passed, compensation rates would be established that require drivers be paid $1.85 per mile and $0.25 per minute while drivers are transporting passengers and $1.25 per mile and $0.10 per minute to pick up a rider if they are more than five miles away. Uber suggests that this will raise the price of a ride from Minneapolis to St. Paul to about $50! This will hurt customers since they cannot afford it and it will hurt drivers because they will have less customers. It’s basic economics!

Additionally, this bill would require Uber and Lyft to provide up to $1 Million in insurance! Fateh initially wanted to force these companies to make the drivers employees instead of independent contractors but this did not have the support of the Democrat controlled Judiciary and Public Safety conference committee. Several other provisions that would put these companies out of business in Minnesota were avoided, but Uber and Lyft are not happy with this bill.

Omar Fateh is completely incapable of defending his own legislation so he brought along a goofy, cheeseball lawyer (Stephen Cooper) to answer all questions in the Conference Committee. Cooper is the lawyer for the Minnesota Uber/Lyft Drivers Association and was challenged by Uber lobbyist Joel Carlson during the committee meeting.

However, it wasn’t just an Uber lobbyist pushing back against this legislation. Democrat Senators Ron Latz (SD46), Judy Seeberger (SD41), and Bonnie Westlin (SD42) all raised issues during the meeting which resulted in moving the legislation from the committee to the House/Senate floor without a recommendation of passage/support. Latz suggested the bill was not ready to become law and forced Fateh, on record, to say that he will not renegotiate the insurance provision on the floor. Westlin expressed her anger that her time was being wasted and that the bill should have been worked on before the very last minute. However, do not be fooled into thinking these Dems are moderates, they vote in lockstep on every consequential bill and it appears that they will not break.

Some reporting has suggested that Omar Fateh and other Communist Legislators may withhold his support for budget bills if he does not get his way and get this crazy bill passed! When one reporter pressed him on the issue he ran away! Could we see the radical left hold up the Democratic big government agenda?!? It is very unlikely as he and every other Democrat Legislator seems to be owned by the Democrat Machine.

Contact your Legislators and tell them to oppose the Socialist Takeover of Uber and Lyft! Minnesota becomes more and more unaffordable and this will worsen the problem for both drivers and riders! We cannot allow radical Socialists like Omar Fateh calling the shots, we need to fight!

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