Bill Text: CT SB00260 | 2017 | General Assembly | Comm Sub

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: An Act Concerning Autonomous Vehicles.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Passed) 2017-06-27 - Signed by the Governor [SB00260 Detail]

Download: Connecticut-2017-SB00260-Comm_Sub.html

General Assembly

 

Committee Bill No. 260

January Session, 2017

 

LCO No. 5442

 

*05442SB00260TRA*

Referred to Committee on TRANSPORTATION

 

Introduced by:

 

(TRA)

 

AN ACT CONCERNING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (Effective October 1, 2017) (a) For the purposes of this section:

(1) "Autonomous technology" means equipment, devices or other technology installed on a motor vehicle, either by the original equipment manufacturer or an aftermarket installer, which renders the motor vehicle capable of driving or operating without the active physical control or monitoring of a human operator. Such equipment, devices or technology do not include an active safety system or any system for driver assistance, including, but not limited to, a system to provide electronic blind spot detection, crash avoidance, emergency braking, parking assistance, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, lane departure warning or traffic jam and queuing assistance, unless the system, alone or in combination with any other system, enables the vehicle to drive without the active physical control or monitoring by a human operator;

(2) "Autonomous vehicle" means a motor vehicle that is equipped with autonomous technology that can operate without the active physical control or monitoring of a human operator;

(3) "Operator" means the person seated in the driver's seat of an autonomous vehicle;

(4) "Fleet service provider" means a person or entity that owns or leases an autonomous vehicle and operates such autonomous vehicle for commercial or public use;

(5) "Autonomous vehicle manufacturer" means:

(A) A person or entity that builds or sells autonomous vehicles;

(B) A person or entity that installs autonomous technology or autonomous technology components in motor vehicles that are not originally built as autonomous vehicles; or

(C) A person or entity that develops software or components for autonomous technology in autonomous vehicles, including motor vehicles that are not originally built as autonomous vehicles;

(6) "Autonomous vehicle tester" means an autonomous vehicle manufacturer, educational institution, automotive equipment or technology provider, fleet operator or person who is certified by an autonomous vehicle manufacturer to conduct testing and who has been authorized by the state to conduct public testing of an autonomous vehicle;

(7) "Highway" has the same meaning as defined in section 14-1 of the general statutes;

(8) "Department" means the Department of Motor Vehicles.

(b) The department, in consultation with the Department of Transportation, the Office of Policy and Management and the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, may establish a pilot program for not more than two municipalities to test autonomous vehicles on the highways of this state.

Sec. 2. (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a task force to study autonomous vehicles. Such study shall include, but need not be limited to, an examination of autonomous vehicles and an analysis of how such vehicles will impact the state and the state's automobile industry.

(b) The task force shall consist of the following members:

(1) One appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives;

(2) One appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate;

(3) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives;

(4) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate;

(5) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives;

(6) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate;

(7) The Commissioner of Transportation, or the commissioner's designee;

(8) Three persons appointed by the Governor;

(9) One appointed by the senate chairperson of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to transportation;

(10) One appointed by the house chairperson of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to transportation; and

(11) One appointed by the senate ranking member of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to transportation.

(c) Any member of the task force appointed under subdivisions (1) to (6), inclusive, and (8) to (11), inclusive, of subsection (b) of this section may be a member of the General Assembly.

(d) All appointments to the task force shall be made not later than thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority.

(e) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro tempore of the Senate shall select the chairpersons of the task force from among the members of the task force. Such chairpersons shall schedule the first meeting of the task force, which shall be held not later than sixty days after the effective date of this section.

(f) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to transportation shall serve as administrative staff of the task force.

(g) Not later than January 1, 2018, the task force shall submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to transportation, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. The task force shall terminate on the date that it submits such report or January 1, 2018, whichever is later.

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:

Section 1

October 1, 2017

New section

Sec. 2

from passage

New section

Statement of Purpose:

To establish a pilot program for the testing of autonomous vehicles and establish a task force to study autonomous vehicles.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]

Co-Sponsors:

SEN. LEONE, 27th Dist.

S.B. 260

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