After three years of trying, a bill to expand ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft statewide won final legislative approval Monday.
The House, which has been behind the push since 2017, voted 99-0 to go along with Senate changes to the House-passed measure.
The Senate, where the effort died in committee in 2017 and 2018, endorsed the bill on Saturday 34-1.
The legislation, House Bill 575, would set up uniform rules to govern Uber and Lyft statewide.
Backers of the bill have long argued that the current setup is a patchwork of conflicting local ordinances that make it impossible to easily travel across parish lines.
They also say Louisiana is one of just four or five states that lack uniform ride-sharing policies.
Supporters say Uber and Lyft hardly exist in rural areas.
"Are the small towns finally going to get Uber?" asked state Rep. John Stefanski, R-Crowley.
"Yes, and we have done everything as a legislative body to make that happen," said Rep. Tanner Magee, R-Houma and sponsor of the bill.
The push has long enjoyed support in the House, and this year's version won House approval 92-0 in April.
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