Bill Text: TX HB933 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the testing of autonomous motor vehicles; creating a border security pilot program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-04-09 - Left pending in committee [HB933 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HB933-Introduced.html
84R2979 AJZ-F | ||
By: Guillen | H.B. No. 933 |
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relating to the testing of autonomous motor vehicles; creating a | ||
border security pilot program. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Chapter 82, Civil Practice and Remedies Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 82.009 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 82.009. AUTONOMOUS MOTOR VEHICLES. (a) In this | ||
section, "autonomous motor vehicle" has the meaning assigned by | ||
Section 545.428, Transportation Code. | ||
(b) The manufacturer of a motor vehicle is not liable for | ||
damages resulting from any of the following actions unless the | ||
defect from which the damages resulted was present in the motor | ||
vehicle when the motor vehicle was manufactured: | ||
(1) the conversion or attempted conversion of the | ||
vehicle into an autonomous motor vehicle by a person other than the | ||
manufacturer; | ||
(2) the installation of equipment in the vehicle by a | ||
person other than the manufacturer to convert the vehicle into an | ||
autonomous motor vehicle; or | ||
(3) the modification by a person other than the | ||
manufacturer of equipment that was installed by the manufacturer in | ||
an autonomous motor vehicle specifically for using the motor | ||
vehicle in automatic mode. | ||
(c) A subcomponent system producer is not liable in a | ||
products liability action for damages resulting from the | ||
modification of equipment installed by the subcomponent system | ||
producer to convert a motor vehicle to an autonomous motor vehicle | ||
unless the defect from which the damages resulted was present in the | ||
equipment when the equipment was installed by the subcomponent | ||
system producer. | ||
SECTION 2. Subchapter F, Chapter 521, Transportation Code, | ||
is amended by adding Section 521.1236 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 521.1236. DESIGNATOR ON LICENSE ISSUED FOR OPERATING | ||
AUTONOMOUS MOTOR VEHICLE. The department shall establish a program | ||
to provide an autonomous motor vehicle operation designation either | ||
on the face of a driver's license or on the reverse side of the | ||
driver's license issued to a person who is authorized to operate an | ||
autonomous motor vehicle under Section 545.428. | ||
SECTION 3. Section 541.001(1), Transportation Code, is | ||
amended to read as follows: | ||
(1) "Operator" means, as used in reference to a | ||
vehicle, a person who drives or has physical control of a vehicle, | ||
except as provided by Section 545.428(b). | ||
SECTION 4. Subchapter I, Chapter 545, Transportation Code, | ||
is amended by adding Section 545.428 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 545.428. OPERATION OF AUTONOMOUS MOTOR VEHICLES; | ||
BORDER SECURITY PILOT PROGRAM. (a) In this section: | ||
(1) "Autonomous motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle | ||
that is capable of using autonomous technology to operate itself | ||
without the active control or continuous monitoring of a person. | ||
(2) "Autonomous technology" means technology | ||
installed on a motor vehicle enabling the vehicle to operate | ||
without the active control or continuous monitoring of a person. | ||
The term does not include, except to the extent that such a system | ||
may be a component of autonomous technology, individual safety | ||
systems or driver assistance systems that enhance safety or provide | ||
driver assistance, but are not individually capable of operating a | ||
motor vehicle without the active control or continuous monitoring | ||
of a person, such as systems designed to provide: | ||
(A) collision avoidance; | ||
(B) electronic blind spot assistance; | ||
(C) crash avoidance; | ||
(D) automated emergency braking; | ||
(E) parking assistance; | ||
(F) adaptive cruise control; | ||
(G) lane keep assistance; | ||
(H) lane departure warning; or | ||
(I) traffic jam and queuing assistance. | ||
(3) "Upfitter" means a person who modifies a motor | ||
vehicle after manufacturing to convert the motor vehicle into an | ||
autonomous motor vehicle. | ||
(b) An operator of an autonomous motor vehicle operating | ||
with autonomous technology is: | ||
(1) a person who causes the vehicle's autonomous | ||
technology to engage, regardless of whether the person is | ||
physically in the autonomous motor vehicle while the vehicle is | ||
operating; or | ||
(2) a person who is seated in the driver's seat of the | ||
autonomous motor vehicle and continuously monitors the operation of | ||
the autonomous motor vehicle. | ||
(c) A person may not operate an autonomous motor vehicle on | ||
a roadway or public highway under Subsection (b) unless: | ||
(1) the person holds a driver's license with an | ||
autonomous motor vehicle designation under Section 521.1236; and | ||
(2) the person is an employee, contractor, or designee | ||
of: | ||
(A) the department; | ||
(B) a manufacturer of autonomous motor vehicles | ||
authorized by the department to operate autonomous motor vehicles; | ||
or | ||
(C) an upfitter authorized by the department to | ||
operate autonomous motor vehicles. | ||
(d) An autonomous motor vehicle may be operated without the | ||
active control of an operator, but the operation of the autonomous | ||
motor vehicle must be continuously monitored by an operator who is | ||
seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle and is able to | ||
immediately assume active control over the vehicle. | ||
(e) A person may not disable motor vehicle safety features | ||
that are required by state and federal law during installation of | ||
autonomous technology on a motor vehicle or operation of an | ||
autonomous motor vehicle. | ||
(f) The department shall adopt rules authorizing the | ||
operation of autonomous motor vehicles on roadways and public | ||
highways, including rules: | ||
(1) establishing minimum requirements that an | ||
autonomous motor vehicle must meet before the vehicle may be | ||
operated on a roadway or public highway; | ||
(2) establishing insurance requirements for: | ||
(A) autonomous motor vehicle operators; | ||
(B) manufacturers of autonomous motor vehicles | ||
operating autonomous motor vehicles; and | ||
(C) upfitters operating autonomous motor | ||
vehicles; | ||
(3) governing the safe operation of autonomous motor | ||
vehicles on roadways and public highways; | ||
(4) establishing a method of authorizing | ||
manufacturers of autonomous motor vehicles and upfitters to test | ||
autonomous motor vehicles and governing the testing of autonomous | ||
motor vehicles; | ||
(5) restricting the operation of autonomous motor | ||
vehicles to certain geographic regions of this state; and | ||
(6) establishing a pilot program for the department to | ||
collaborate with autonomous motor vehicle manufacturers and | ||
upfitters to test the use of autonomous motor vehicles for border | ||
security purposes. | ||
SECTION 5. Section 82.009, Civil Practice and Remedies | ||
Code, as added by this Act, applies only to a cause of action that | ||
accrues on or after the effective date of this Act. | ||
SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |