HB2676 – Minimum requirements for testing autonomous vehicles in the Department of Transportation’s pilot program.
Prime Sponsor – Representative Kloba (D; 1st District; Bothell) (Co-sponsors Boehnke, and Hudgins)
Current status – Referred to the Governor for signature.
In the House (Passed)
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation. Had a hearing February 10th; passed out of committee with a minor clarifying amendment February 11th. Referred to Rules. Replaced with a striker by the prime sponsor on the floor and passed by the House February 19th. House concurred with Senate amendment March 10th.
In the Senate – (Passed)
Referred to the Senate Committee on Transportation; had a hearing February 25th. Amended and passed out of committee March 2nd. Referred to Rules. Passed the Senate March 6th, with a floor amendment making minor adjustments to reporting requirements. Referred to the House for concurrence.
Next step would be – Signature by the Governor.
Legislative tracking page for the bill.
SB6659 is a companion bill in the Senate.
Comments –
The striker in the House moves the effective date back a year to 2021, requires written advance notice to law enforcement for the area where testing will occur, and makes some small adjustments reducing the reporting requirements which are summarized by staff at the end.
The amendments in the Senate Transportation Committee make minor changes to the requirements about advance notification of testing, shift the date by which umbrella insurance coverage is required to 90 days after the end of the session, and narrow the requirements for reporting of problems to collisions and moving violations when the vehicle is in autonomous mode.
Summary –
The bill requires an insurance policy covering at least five million dollars per occurrence for bodily injury, death, or property damage for vehicles being tested under the Department of Transportation’s autonomous vehicle self-certification testing pilot program.
Organizations testing autonomous vehicles have to provide the Department with contact information, the local jurisdictions where testing is planned, the vehicle identification numbers, and proof of an insurance policy that meets the requirements. They must notify the department about any traffic incidents and any traffic infractions involving an autonomous motor vehicle within ten days, and about any disengagements of the autonomous driving system system that are made to avoid a possible traffic incident. The information has to include whether the autonomous driving system was operating the vehicle at the time of or immediately before the traffic incident or infraction, and details about any traffic incidents including any loss of life, injury, or property damage that resulted from them.
The bill authorizes the Department to charge a fee to cover the program’s administrative costs, and the Department’s to provide an annual update to the Legislature’s transportation committees summarizing the reported information.