Legislation has passed in a U.S. House subcommittee that will pave the way for a national framework to support the development and roll-out of autonomous vehicles in the country.
On Wednesday, the US House Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection subcommittee approved the legislation and plans on voting on the bill next week. In the meantime, changes to the bill can be made during the week.
As it stands, the bill would allow automakers to deploy up to 100,000 autonomous vehicles on U.S. streets without having to ensure they comply with select federal standards, like having a steering wheel or pedals. Additionally, the bill would also prevent individual states from barring deployment of the self-driving vehicles but still require car manufacturers to prove that their vehicles are roadworthy.
CNET notes that the bill probably won’t head to the US House for a full vote until September and after that, it will also have to be approved by the Senate before arriving on President Donald Trump’s desk and requiring his signature.
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