Oklahoman: ‘Uber Bill’ Lets Free Market Forces Reign
Oklahoma lawmakers due credit for letting market forces reign
by The Oklahoman Editorial Board
TOO often, politicians’ first instinct is to extend government’s reach into the private economy when that should be an act of last resort. Yet perceived problems are many times resolved far more quickly through the efficient mechanism of market forces than through the imposition of bureaucratic red tape. A recent debate in Oklahoma over ride-sharing legislation brings this fact to mind.
House Bill 1614 would impose uniform statewide regulation of ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft. Currently, those services face different regulations in different Oklahoma towns.
The bill initially included a provision requiring ride-sharing services to adopt a policy of nondiscrimination based on several factors, including sexual orientation and gender identity. Members of the Oklahoma Senate amended the legislation to remove the sexual orientation language. This led critics to insist that lawmakers were effectively endorsing arbitrary discrimination. Sen. John Sparks, D-Norman, said the amendment was simply a “way to allow legalized discrimination of a class the Republican majority deems unacceptable.”
Yet this ignores the fact that the bill leaves ride-sharing companies free to set their own policies. Uber and Lyft have company policies that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. So Sparks was objecting to the fact that government wasn’t requiring businesses to do something they’re already doing.