Testimony in Montana: the Competitor's Veto is unconstitutional

PLF client Tracie Pabst (left) and attorney Anastasia Boden (right)

Today I testified to the Montana Legislature’s House Transportation Committee about the unconstitutionality of their Competitor’s Veto law—the same law we challenged in court yesterday.  The Committee is considering amending that law and eliminating the Competitor’s Veto for the taxi industry.  However, those amendments do not affect the Competitor’s Veto provisions for the moving industry.  Thus, even if the amendments pass, the law would leave Montana residents who want to start a moving business at the mercy of their competitors.

You can read my written testimony here, which outlines why laws like the Competitor’s Veto, laws that serve no public purpose and instead exist solely to protect existing businesses from competition, violate the Constitution.

In case you missed the hearing, you can watch it here.  Check out our client Tracie Pabst explaining to the Committee why she should be allowed to start her business without asking for her competitors’ permission first at 26:52 of the video.