The Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee advanced SB 1246 on a 7-1 vote Wednesday, moving the autonomous-vehicle bill to Appropriations after a lengthy debate over how AV companies should respond to crashes and system failures.
Authored by Sen. Cortese, SB 1246 would require operators to provide vehicle-status information to first responders, use U.S.-based remote drivers, dispatch technicians, and ensure vehicles can be disabled after incidents, according to the committee record. The bill cleared the committee as amended.
Supporters included labor, fire, law-enforcement and consumer groups, while industry witnesses urged amendments or opposed the measure outright. The committee summary says the split reflected a broader fight over whether the bill sets necessary public-safety standards or is too prescriptive for AV companies.
The measure remains alive as it heads to Appropriations.
Read more from the committee’s hearing record.
