LOS ANGELES, Dec. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumer
advocates today called on House Minority Leader and Speaker-elect
Nancy Pelosi to stop an effort by
the auto industry in the lame duck session to overturn California privacy and auto safety laws
governing self-driving cars.
New amendments to SB 1885, the AV START Act, give automakers a
specific exemption from state privacy law and give exclusive
jurisdiction to Trump's Federal Trade Commission. The
self-driving car bill is expected to be added to the federal
spending bill, which would circumvent the current hold on the
legislation by Senator Feinstein and four other senators.
"This is a power grab by the auto industry to overturn landmark
California privacy and
self-driving car safety provisions before the Democratic majority
takes charge in the House in January," Consumer Watchdog wrote to
Pelosi. "The auto industry should not be able to wipe out
California's self-driving car
safety and incident reporting laws or the application of the new
California Consumer Privacy Act under the cover of a lame duck
session. We ask you to stop this reckless and craven power grab by
the auto makers in its tracks."
Senator Schumer and Pelosi have the power over what is included
in the omnibus spending bill and can prevent the legislation from
being tacked on.
Read Consumer Watchdog's letter to Pelosi here:
https://www.consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/2018-12/LtrPelosi120618final.pdf
The letter concludes: "An autonomous vehicle law should
immediately set performance standards that ensure an autonomous
vehicle can detect and respond to its surroundings and other road
users, including drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. It should
immediately set performance standards for cybersecurity and
electronics. AV START fails to do this and threatens meaningful
state laws.
"A bad law is worse than no law. There is no reason to rush this
deeply flawed legislation through Congress. The preemption of
California's autonomous vehicle
regulations and the threat to our landmark Consumer Privacy Act
must be thwarted. Consumer Watchdog calls on you to do so."
Learn more about Consumer Watchdog at
www.consumerwatchdog.org
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SOURCE Consumer Watchdog