California Assembly Bill AB2866 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 2866AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 18, 2016 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Gatto FEBRUARY 19, 2016 An act to  amend Section 10851.5   add and repeal Division 16.65 (commencing with Section 38755)  of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2866, as amended, Gatto.  Binder chains.   Autonomous vehicles.   Existing law establishes certain criteria that must be met by a manufacturer of an autonomous vehicle in order for the manufacturer to operate the autonomous vehicle for testing purposes on public roads.   This bill would, notwithstanding those provisions, until January 1, 2018, require the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of the California Highway Patrol to conduct a pilot project in conjunction with one or more manufacturers of autonomous vehicles to test the safety and feasibility of operating autonomous vehicles on public roads. The bill would require the Department of Motor Vehicles to select 3 counties in which to conduct the pilot project and to contract with local law enforcement agencies to participate in the pilot project in each county. The bill would require the Department of Motor Vehicles to report the results of the pilot project to the Legislature on or before July 1, 2018. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2019.   Under existing law, a person who takes binder chains having a value of $950 or less that are not his or her own, without the owner' s consent and with intent either permanently or temporarily to deprive the owner of title to or possession of the binder chains, or any party or accessory to that act, is guilty of a misdemeanor, subject to imprisonment in the county jail, a fine, or both, as specified.   This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions, including deleting an obsolete cross-reference.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  no   yes  . State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   Division 16.65 (commencing with Section 38755) is added to the   Vehicle Code   , to read:   DIVISION 16.65. Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Project 38755. Notwithstanding subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 38750, the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of the California Highway Patrol shall, in conjunction with one or more manufacturers of autonomous vehicles, conduct a pilot project to test the safety and feasibility of operating autonomous vehicles on public roads. 38756. The Department of Motor Vehicles shall select three counties in which to conduct the road tests, and shall contract with local law enforcement agencies for purposes of participating in the road testing prior to conducting any road tests. A local agency may consent to contract and participate, but shall not be required to contract and participate, in the pilot project. The pilot project shall commence on January 1, 2017, and shall terminate on January 1, 2018. 38757. (a) For purposes of this division, the terms "autonomous vehicle" and "manufacturer" have the same meaning as set forth in Section 38750. (b) Autonomous vehicles tested in the pilot project are not required to be equipped with a steering wheel, brake pedal, or accelerator, and may be operated without a driver inside the vehicle. 38758. The Department of Motor Vehicles shall report the results of the pilot project to the Legislature on or before July 1, 2018. A report submitted pursuant to this subdivision shall be submitted pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code. 38759. This division shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2019, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2019, deletes or extends that date.  SECTION 1.   Section 10851.5 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read: 10851.5. A person who takes binder chains having a value of nine hundred fifty dollars ($950) or less that are not his or her own, without the consent of the owner thereof, and with intent either permanently or temporarily to deprive the owner thereof of his or her title to or possession of the binder chains, whether with or without intent to steal the binder chains, or a person who is a party or accessory to or an accomplice in the unauthorized taking or stealing, is guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for not less than six months or by a fine of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) or by both the fine and imprisonment. The consent of the owner of the binder chain to its taking shall not in any case be presumed or implied because of the owner's consent on a previous occasion to the taking of the binder chain by the same or a different person.