House Subcommittee Panel Unanimously Approves Self-Driving Legislation
The Energy and Commerce Committee’s Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection panel unanimously approved a bill that would be Congress’s first attempt at adopting laws for autonomous vehicles. The bill’s bipartisan support was due in part to the Republican leadership’s adoption of Democratic proposals on safety oversight by federal regulators. In essence, the bill would allow manufacturers to get their self-driving cars on the road and would preempt state rules on mechanical, software, and safety systems for these vehicles. It includes a directive to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to develop a regulatory plan, and would require manufacturers to have a cybersecurity plan in place before deploying autonomous vehicles. A vote by the full House Energy and Commerce Committee is expected in late July, with a full House vote after the August recess.
