HF 3325

1st Engrossment - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 04/07/2016 04:19pm

A bill for an act
relating to transportation; establishing autonomous vehicles task force and
demonstration project to serve mobility needs of people with disabilities;
providing support for the task force; defining terms; appropriating money.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. DEFINITION OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE.

For the purposes of this act, "autonomous vehicle" is a vehicle equipped with
technology that has the capability to drive a vehicle without the active control or monitoring
of a human operator. Autonomous vehicle excludes a motor vehicle enabled with active
safety systems or driver assistance systems, including, without limitation, a system to
provide electronic blind spot assistance, crash avoidance, emergency braking, parking
assistance, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assistance, lane departure warning, or traffic
jam and queuing assistant, unless the system alone or in combination with other systems
enables the vehicle to drive without the active control or monitoring by a human operator.

Sec. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES TASK FORCE.

Subdivision 1.

Purpose.

The autonomous vehicles task force is established to
design and supervise a demonstration project, analyze results, and report to the legislature
concerning issues related to the use by people with disabilities of autonomous vehicles
on public roads and highways.

Subd. 2.

Task force membership.

(a) The autonomous vehicles task force consists
of 19 members from the metropolitan area and greater Minnesota, all of whom are voting
members and who must be appointed by July 31, 2016, as follows:

(1) two senators, including one member from the majority party and one member
from the minority party, appointed by the Subcommittee on Committees of the Committee
on Rules and Administration of the senate;

(2) two members of the house of representatives, including one member appointed
by the speaker of the house of representatives and one member appointed by the minority
leader;

(3) the commissioner of public safety or a designee;

(4) the commissioner of transportation or a designee;

(5) the commissioner of commerce or a designee;

(6) one member appointed by the Minnesota State Council on Disability;

(7) one member with experience in greater Minnesota paratransit administration
appointed by the commissioner of transportation;

(8) one member with experience in metropolitan-area paratransit administration
appointed by the Metropolitan Council;

(9) three members who are not public officials, and at least one of whom represents
the disability community, appointed by the senate majority leader;

(10) three members who are not public officials, and at least one of whom represents
the disability community, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; and

(11) three members who are not public officials, and at least one of whom represents
the disability community, appointed by the governor.

(b) The governor must select one of the appointees under paragraph (a), clause (11),
to serve as chair of the task force.

Subd. 3.

First meeting; chair.

The member who is appointed to serve as the chair
shall convene the first meeting of the task force by October 15, 2016. The task force may
elect from among its members a cochair and any other officers the task force determines
are necessary or convenient.

Subd. 4.

Duties.

The task force shall examine and report to the legislature
concerning ways in which autonomous vehicles can be designed, equipped, managed, and
deployed to serve the mobility needs of people with disabilities. To further this goal, the
task force shall design and supervise a demonstration project as described in section 3.

Subd. 5.

Authorization.

The task force may solicit gifts, grants, or donations
of any kind from any private or public source to carry out the purposes of this act. All
gifts, grants, or donations received by the task force must be deposited in an autonomous
vehicle project account established in the special revenue fund. Money in the account is
appropriated to the commissioner of transportation for the activities of the task force and
implementation of the demonstration project.

Subd. 6.

Compensation.

Public members of the task force shall receive no
compensation or per diem payments for participating on the task force.

Subd. 7.

Administrative support.

The commissioner of transportation must
provide meeting space, administrative support, and staff support for the task force. The
task force may hold meetings in any publicly accessible location in the state.

Subd. 8.

Open Meeting Law.

Meetings of the task force are subject to Minnesota
Statutes, chapter 13D.

Subd. 9.

Report.

The task force shall report its findings and recommendations to
the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction
over transportation policy and finance. The report must include findings concerning
recommended legislation, administrative rules, and policies to utilize autonomous vehicles
in the provision of equitable, safe, and cost-effective transportation solutions to people
with disabilities both in the metropolitan area and greater Minnesota. The report must
analyze benefits, costs, business models, liability issues, legal implications, and safety
issues. The report must be submitted by December 31, 2018.

Subd. 10.

Sunset.

This section expires June 30, 2019.

Sec. 3. AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.

Subdivision 1.

Goal.

The goal of the autonomous vehicle demonstration project
is to identify means by which autonomous vehicles can best be equipped and utilized to
provide mobility service for people with disabilities.

Subd. 2.

Selection of vendors.

The task force must select, through a contracting
method chosen by the task force, vendors to participate in the demonstration project.
Vendors must furnish, equip, and operate autonomous vehicles that meet vehicle and
safety standards identified by the commissioner of public safety, for testing purposes to
achieve the goal expressed in subdivision 1. Employees, contractors, or others designated
by vendors may operate the autonomous vehicles within the demonstration project. Before
beginning operation of autonomous vehicles within the demonstration project, each
vendor must submit to the Department of Public Safety an instrument of insurance, surety
bond, or proof of self-insurance acceptable to the department in the amount of $5,000,000.

Subd. 3.

Participants.

The demonstration must include participants with
disabilities, including but not limited to developmental, mental, and physical disabilities
that prevent them from qualifying for a driver's license or from safely operating a
traditional motor vehicle. The project must include participants from the metropolitan
area and from greater Minnesota.

Subd. 4.

Autonomous vehicle operator.

A person is deemed to be operating an
autonomous vehicle when the person causes the vehicle's autonomous technology to
engage, regardless of whether the person is physically present in the autonomous vehicle.
While participating in this demonstration project, a person may operate an autonomous
vehicle in autonomous mode if:

(1) the person holds a class D license or its equivalent; or

(2) the person does not hold a driver's license, but a person who holds a class
D license or its equivalent is present in the vehicle or is monitoring the vehicle from a
remote location during operation, and in either case, the licensed person is able to take
control of the vehicle's movements immediately, if necessary.

Sec. 4. APPROPRIATION.

$5,000,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of
transportation for the expenses of the task force and the demonstration project described in
sections 1 to 3, including expenses of administrative and staff support.

Sec. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.

Sections 1 to 4 are effective the day following final enactment.