BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2682
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Date of Hearing: April 4, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Jim Frazier, Chair
AB 2682
(Chang) - As Amended March 18, 2016
SUBJECT: Autonomous vehicles
SUMMARY: Requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), upon
the development of a model state policy on autonomous vehicles
by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
to hold public hearings on the model policy and consider, to the
extent authorized by other law, conforming DMV regulations with
the model policy.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Requires DMV, by January 1, 2015, to adopt regulations
applicable to the operation of autonomous vehicles on public
roads, for both testing and non-testing purposes.
2)Requires DMV to hold public hearings on the adoption of any
regulation applicable to the operation of an autonomous
vehicle without the presence of a driver inside the vehicle.
3)Specifies that federal regulations promulgated by NHTSA shall
supersede provisions of existing state law when found to be in
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conflict with other state laws or regulations related to
autonomous vehicles.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS: DMV is currently in the process of adopting
regulations applicable to the operation of autonomous vehicles,
pursuant to SB 1298 (Padilla), Chapter 570, Statutes of 2012.
DMV adopted regulations for the operation of autonomous vehicles
for testing purposes in May 2014, and has yet to adopt
regulations for the deployment of autonomous vehicles for
non-testing purposes out of a desire to receive more input from
the public and stakeholders before making a final regulatory
action. Throughout the process of drafting these regulations,
DMV has consulted with manufacturers, consumer and privacy
groups, technology companies, universities, and other government
entities, including NHTSA. However, because there are no
existing federal guidelines for state regulations on autonomous
vehicles, DMV has been placed in the position of developing
regulations for new, technologically complex concepts with
little outside experience on which the department can rely or to
which it can refer.
In December 2015, DMV released an early draft of the regulations
for the full deployment of autonomous vehicles for public
review. DMV currently estimates it will initiate the final
regulatory process this summer.
In January of this year, United States Department of
Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Anthony Foxx announced
President Obama's Fiscal Year 2017 budget proposal to allocate
nearly $4 billion over ten years towards accelerating the
development of autonomous vehicle technology through real-world
pilot projects. Additionally, Secretary Foxx announced that
NHTSA will, within six months, both consult with industry and
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other stakeholders to develop guidance on the safe deployment
and operation of autonomous vehicles, and consult with state
partners, the American Association of Motor Vehicle
Administrators, and other stakeholders to develop a model state
policy on automated vehicles that offers a path to consistent
national policy.
This bill would require DMV to hold public hearings on this
model state policy and consider, to the extent authorized by
other law, conforming DMV's autonomous vehicle regulations to
the model policy. According to the author, this bill would
ensure California remains a technological leader when the model
policy is issued in July, and competitive for any new federal
funds that become available in the future.
According to DMV, the department has been in constant
communication with NHTSA on the topic of its autonomous vehicle
regulations and will likely be able to easily comport its
regulatory package to NHTSA's model state policy.
Related Legislation: AB 1592 (Bonilla) would authorize the
Contra Costa Transportation Authority to conduct a pilot project
for the testing of autonomous vehicles under specific
conditions. AB 1592 is scheduled to be heard by this committee
on April 4, 2016.
AB 2866 (Gatto) would require DMV and the Department of the
California Highway Patrol to conduct a pilot project in three
counties in conjunction with one or more manufacturers of
autonomous vehicles to test the safety and feasibility of
operating autonomous vehicles on public roads. AB 2866 is
awaiting a hearing by this committee.
Previous Legislation: SB 1298 (Padilla), Chapter 570, Statutes
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of 2012, established conditions for the operation of autonomous
vehicles upon public roadways.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on file
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Justin Behrens / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093