Michigan House panel unanimously OKs amended autonomous vehicle bills

LANSING -- A House committee on Tuesday advanced four bills that would regulate Michigan's developing autonomous vehicle industry, with changes designed to satisfy concerns about exclusion raised by tech giant Google Inc.The House communications and technology committee unanimously voted to send Senate Bills 995-98 to the House floor. The legislation unanimously cleared the Senate earlier this month.If adopted, the bills would allow a computer system to serve as a vehicle's driver when active and allow driverless cars on Michigan roads for any reason, not only while being tested. The legislation also would extend liability protections to mechanics who work on autonomous vehicles and authorize the planned American Center for Mobility at Willow Run in Ypsilanti, Mich. John Krafcik, CEO of Google's self-driving car project, last week sent a letter to Rep. Bradford Jacobsen, R-Oxford Township, who chairs the House's communications committee. In it, Krafcik voiced concerns that the bills as originally drafted could exclude firms like Google that develop technology, but not vehicles, from participating in the industry.The bills passed Tuesday included several amendments, including a broader definition of a motor vehicle manufacturer that goes beyond traditional automakers to include entities that have made self-driving vehicles in the U.S. that comply with federal safety standards, operated them with a test driver for at least 1 million miles and has secured an insurance policy or surety bond worth at least $10 million, Dave Biswas, legislative director for Sen. Mike Kowall, R-White Lake Township, testified.Google and ride-hailing service Lyft support the bills, according to the committee.Hacking bills move alongAlso Tuesday, the Senate's judiciary committee sent two bills to the Senate floor that would make it a felony to hack into an electronic vehicle system, Biswas said.The bill language was changed to include more definitions, including of "motor vehicle manufacturer" and "motor vehicle electronic system," according to an amended version of the bills.The revised legislation excludes automakers, dealers and mechanics from violating the law when working on cars' electronic systems if their intent is not malicious, as well as researchers working under controlled conditions to test and improve such software.Sentencing guidelines now call for five years in prison for illegally accessing a computer system or motor vehicle electronic system; 10 years for an offender with a prior conviction or if the hacking resulted in serious injury; and life for an offense causing death.A previous version of the bill did not have the tiered sentencing structure and would have made hacking into a motor vehicle system a life offense.

Michigan House panel unanimously OKs amended autonomous vehicle bills

Featured Stories