Congress Moving Into The Driver's Seat For Autonomous Vehicles

On July 19, 2017, the first federal draft bill that addresses developing autonomous vehicle technology advanced to the full U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce ("Committee"). On autonomous vehicles, the bipartisan bill:

• Clarifies the roles of federal and state regulations, with express preemption of state laws relating to vehicle design, construction, and systems, while preserving state laws relating to vehicle registration, licensing, insurance, inspections, and traffic;  
• Requires manufacturers to submit safety assessment letters to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA") and, after a rulemaking, to submit safety assessment certifications;