Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB933 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R2979 AJZ-F
2	2	By: Guillen H.B. No. 933
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the testing of autonomous motor vehicles; creating a
8	8	border security pilot program.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Chapter 82, Civil Practice and Remedies Code, is
11	11	amended by adding Section 82.009 to read as follows:
12	12	Sec. 82.009. AUTONOMOUS MOTOR VEHICLES. (a) In this
13	13	section, "autonomous motor vehicle" has the meaning assigned by
14	14	Section 545.428, Transportation Code.
15	15	(b) The manufacturer of a motor vehicle is not liable for
16	16	damages resulting from any of the following actions unless the
17	17	defect from which the damages resulted was present in the motor
18	18	vehicle when the motor vehicle was manufactured:
19	19	(1) the conversion or attempted conversion of the
20	20	vehicle into an autonomous motor vehicle by a person other than the
21	21	manufacturer;
22	22	(2) the installation of equipment in the vehicle by a
23	23	person other than the manufacturer to convert the vehicle into an
24	24	autonomous motor vehicle; or
25	25	(3) the modification by a person other than the
26	26	manufacturer of equipment that was installed by the manufacturer in
27	27	an autonomous motor vehicle specifically for using the motor
28	28	vehicle in automatic mode.
29	29	(c) A subcomponent system producer is not liable in a
30	30	products liability action for damages resulting from the
31	31	modification of equipment installed by the subcomponent system
32	32	producer to convert a motor vehicle to an autonomous motor vehicle
33	33	unless the defect from which the damages resulted was present in the
34	34	equipment when the equipment was installed by the subcomponent
35	35	system producer.
36	36	SECTION 2. Subchapter F, Chapter 521, Transportation Code,
37	37	is amended by adding Section 521.1236 to read as follows:
38	38	Sec. 521.1236. DESIGNATOR ON LICENSE ISSUED FOR OPERATING
39	39	AUTONOMOUS MOTOR VEHICLE. The department shall establish a program
40	40	to provide an autonomous motor vehicle operation designation either
41	41	on the face of a driver's license or on the reverse side of the
42	42	driver's license issued to a person who is authorized to operate an
43	43	autonomous motor vehicle under Section 545.428.
44	44	SECTION 3. Section 541.001(1), Transportation Code, is
45	45	amended to read as follows:
46	46	(1) "Operator" means, as used in reference to a
47	47	vehicle, a person who drives or has physical control of a vehicle,
48	48	except as provided by Section 545.428(b).
49	49	SECTION 4. Subchapter I, Chapter 545, Transportation Code,
50	50	is amended by adding Section 545.428 to read as follows:
51	51	Sec. 545.428. OPERATION OF AUTONOMOUS MOTOR VEHICLES;
52	52	BORDER SECURITY PILOT PROGRAM. (a) In this section:
53	53	(1) "Autonomous motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle
54	54	that is capable of using autonomous technology to operate itself
55	55	without the active control or continuous monitoring of a person.
56	56	(2) "Autonomous technology" means technology
57	57	installed on a motor vehicle enabling the vehicle to operate
58	58	without the active control or continuous monitoring of a person.
59	59	The term does not include, except to the extent that such a system
60	60	may be a component of autonomous technology, individual safety
61	61	systems or driver assistance systems that enhance safety or provide
62	62	driver assistance, but are not individually capable of operating a
63	63	motor vehicle without the active control or continuous monitoring
64	64	of a person, such as systems designed to provide:
65	65	(A) collision avoidance;
66	66	(B) electronic blind spot assistance;
67	67	(C) crash avoidance;
68	68	(D) automated emergency braking;
69	69	(E) parking assistance;
70	70	(F) adaptive cruise control;
71	71	(G) lane keep assistance;
72	72	(H) lane departure warning; or
73	73	(I) traffic jam and queuing assistance.
74	74	(3) "Upfitter" means a person who modifies a motor
75	75	vehicle after manufacturing to convert the motor vehicle into an
76	76	autonomous motor vehicle.
77	77	(b) An operator of an autonomous motor vehicle operating
78	78	with autonomous technology is:
79	79	(1) a person who causes the vehicle's autonomous
80	80	technology to engage, regardless of whether the person is
81	81	physically in the autonomous motor vehicle while the vehicle is
82	82	operating; or
83	83	(2) a person who is seated in the driver's seat of the
84	84	autonomous motor vehicle and continuously monitors the operation of
85	85	the autonomous motor vehicle.
86	86	(c) A person may not operate an autonomous motor vehicle on
87	87	a roadway or public highway under Subsection (b) unless:
88	88	(1) the person holds a driver's license with an
89	89	autonomous motor vehicle designation under Section 521.1236; and
90	90	(2) the person is an employee, contractor, or designee
91	91	of:
92	92	(A) the department;
93	93	(B) a manufacturer of autonomous motor vehicles
94	94	authorized by the department to operate autonomous motor vehicles;
95	95	or
96	96	(C) an upfitter authorized by the department to
97	97	operate autonomous motor vehicles.
98	98	(d) An autonomous motor vehicle may be operated without the
99	99	active control of an operator, but the operation of the autonomous
100	100	motor vehicle must be continuously monitored by an operator who is
101	101	seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle and is able to
102	102	immediately assume active control over the vehicle.
103	103	(e) A person may not disable motor vehicle safety features
104	104	that are required by state and federal law during installation of
105	105	autonomous technology on a motor vehicle or operation of an
106	106	autonomous motor vehicle.
107	107	(f) The department shall adopt rules authorizing the
108	108	operation of autonomous motor vehicles on roadways and public
109	109	highways, including rules:
110	110	(1) establishing minimum requirements that an
111	111	autonomous motor vehicle must meet before the vehicle may be
112	112	operated on a roadway or public highway;
113	113	(2) establishing insurance requirements for:
114	114	(A) autonomous motor vehicle operators;
115	115	(B) manufacturers of autonomous motor vehicles
116	116	operating autonomous motor vehicles; and
117	117	(C) upfitters operating autonomous motor
118	118	vehicles;
119	119	(3) governing the safe operation of autonomous motor
120	120	vehicles on roadways and public highways;
121	121	(4) establishing a method of authorizing
122	122	manufacturers of autonomous motor vehicles and upfitters to test
123	123	autonomous motor vehicles and governing the testing of autonomous
124	124	motor vehicles;
125	125	(5) restricting the operation of autonomous motor
126	126	vehicles to certain geographic regions of this state; and
127	127	(6) establishing a pilot program for the department to
128	128	collaborate with autonomous motor vehicle manufacturers and
129	129	upfitters to test the use of autonomous motor vehicles for border
130	130	security purposes.
131	131	SECTION 5. Section 82.009, Civil Practice and Remedies
132	132	Code, as added by this Act, applies only to a cause of action that
133	133	accrues on or after the effective date of this Act.
134	134	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
135	135	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
136	136	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
137	137	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
138	138	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.