Standing outside the Capitol on Wednesday morning, Sen. Omar Fateh, DFL-Minneapolis, made a promise to a cheering crowd of Uber and Lyft drivers.
“My commitment to you is that this will get across the finish line. It will pass the Judiciary Committee. It will pass on the floor of the Senate. It will pass on the floor of the House … and I’ve gotten a commitment from the governor’s office also that if this bill passes he will sign it,” Fateh said.
The bill (SF2319/HF2369) would guarantee Uber and Lyft drivers significant wage increases, better insurance coverage and protections against being fired, or “deactivated.”
Fateh was flanked by three of his Democratic colleagues in the House: Reps. Mohamud Noor and Hodan Hassan of Minneapolis and Samakab Hussein of St. Paul. Sen. Zaynab Mohamed, while not present, is just as committed to the bill, they said.
Fateh and his colleagues have significant leverage. With a one seat majority in the Senate, Democrats have to vote in unison on every bill to overcome Republican opposition, which means every Democratic senator has significant influence. In the House, Democrats can afford to lose just two votes from their ranks and still pass a bill.
The legislative session ends in less than two weeks, and lawmakers still need to pass most of a two-year budget that funds everything from...
CLAIM: Video claiming President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had resigned. RATING: FALSE A YouTube video falsely claimed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had stepped down from office amid continue...