As promised in May after Austin’s contentious vote on paid ride regulations, state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, filed a bill to regulate transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft at the state level, as opposed to city by city.

The bill, filed Monday, requires a national background check but does not specify the fingerprint-based background check that has pitted the companies and cities such as Houston and Austin at odds.

“I'm committed to seeing that all legitimate safety concerns regarding ride-sharing are addressed, and I welcome all parties to engage productively in that discussion," Schwertner said in a news release. "But as a state with a long tradition of supporting the free market, Texas should not allow the creation of new barriers to entry for the sole purpose of stifling innovation and eliminating competition.”

Currently most cities that have passed rules regarding the transportation network companies have based them on their taxi and limousine laws. In Houston, despite opposition from Uber, the city has insisted on fingerprint background checks. Officials have said its background rules are much harder to fabricate.

The company, which operates across the globe, prefers a non-fingerprint records check, which it says does a better job of finding some types of information, and is less burdensome to those interested in driving part time.

Thirty-four states regulate transportation companies at the state level.

Schwertner’s bill does not cover taxi and limo companies, instead leaving them regulated at the municipal level. It precludes municipalities from taxing or licensing transportation network company drivers.

If approved, the legislation would require companies to conduct their own background checks, and only approve drivers meeting the criteria the companies already commonly use, such as a valid drivers license and no major criminal convictions related to fleeing police, sexual offenses and use of a motor vehicle in an act of violence.

The bill also includes requirements that companies holding a permit as a transportation network company in Texas pay an annual fee of $10,000 for operators with fewer than 50 drivers, to $125,000 for operators with more than 1,000 drivers registered with their smartphone app.

In Houston alone, Uber has thousands of drivers, though the specific total is not publicly available.

Schwertner’s bill is not the only legislation filed on the opening day dealing with transportation network companies. State Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, filed a bill de-regulating all paid rides, including those of cabs and limos, provided the vehicle is designed to accommodate fewer than 15 people.