Sami’s Law Passes U.S. House; Her Father Calls It “Bittersweet”

A proposed law honoring Robbinsville native, Samantha Josephson, is one step closer to becoming a legal mandate.

The bipartisan legislation, written in memory of Robbinsville's Samantha "Sami" Josephson, a college senior who was brutally murdered in 2019 by a man pretending to her be Uber driver, passed in the US House of Representatives today.

The measure, known as Sami's Law (HR 4686), requires rideshare companies (like Uber and Lyft) to utilize a verifiable, electronic system to match drivers and passengers before the ride begins.

The bill's namesake, Samantha Josephson, got into the car of a man impersonating an Uber driver in Columbia, South Carolina in late March 2019. The 21-year-old college senior was kidnapped and killed by 24-year-old Nathaniel David Rowland.

The measure, which passed in an unanimous voice vote in the US House today, was co-sponsored by Republican Rep. Chris Smith (who represents Robbinsville).

“For over a year—especially given the pain due to the unimaginable loss of their daughter—Seymour and Marci have been heroic, tenacious, and extraordinarily persuasive,” Smith said in a statement to the media today.

Sami's father, Seymour Josephson, said in an interview with the media on Wednesday that the bill was bittersweet.

“As you can imagine, I would rather have Samantha sitting next to me rather than sitting watching the voting going on,” he said. “It’s nice to finally have the fruits of your labor — that we’ve done for the last 15 months — (pay off.)”

Sami's Law goes next to the United States Senate.