Autonomous vehicle (AV) legislation has been active at the
federal and state levels. Congress recently revisited federal
autonomous vehicle legislation, after last year's stalled
efforts.
Last year, we saw competing bipartisan bills in the House and
Senate. The House passed the SELF Drive Act that included
provisions for broader federal preemption of state AV laws, and in
particular to prohibit states from regulating operators of AVs. The
SELF Drive Act also established a federal AV technology advisory
council and updated various federal vehicle safety regulations to
address AVs. The Senate considered, but did not pass, a competing
bill: the American Vision for Safer Transportation through
Advancement of Revolutionary Technologies (AV START) Act. The AV
START Act would preclude state regulation of AV systems and vehicle
equipment related to AV systems. It also would have expanded
regulatory oversight and rulemaking for AV systems, including
testing provisions for
