House approves bill to let auto manufacturers disable remote vehicle access for domestic‑abuse protective orders

The House on Monday passed a bill from Speaker Pro Tempore Mike Johnson that lets vehicle owners subject to domestic‑violence protective orders ask automakers to suspend remote access features tied to a phone app or manufacturer portal.

The bill was described by Johnson as a measure to protect survivors. "This legislation simply protects victims of domestic abuse from abusers who use the remote access and the vehicle technology on their automobile bills to stall, harass, or control them remotely," Johnson said on the House floor.

Under the bill an owner or protected person may submit a certified copy of a valid protective order and a remote‑access suspension request. The manufacturer would be required to suspend remote access for the account identified in the request; sponsors said the measure includes a portal and a standardized form to ease compliance. The bill also creates a survivor empowerment fund paid by penalties when manufacturers violate the law.

Lawmakers debated implementation details during floor questions, including whether the request would be handled by dealers or by remote manufacturers and what immunity manufacturers would receive for complying. Amendments adopted on the floor clarified that manufacturers who comply with suspension requests would not be liable to an abuser and specified how fines would seed the survivor fund. Johnson said the changes responded to manufacturer concerns and would encourage compliance.

The House adopted the bill unanimously on a clerk roll call and sent it on for further processing.

Why it matters

Modern vehicles often include telematics and apps that allow owners to lock or unlock doors, track location, or disable a vehicle remotely. Advocates told legislators the same features can be used by abusers to stalk or control survivors; sponsors said the bill is a narrowly focused safety measure for people with protective orders.

Speakers

["Speaker Pro Tem Mike Johnson","Representative Marcel","Representative Phelps","Representative Jordan"]

Authorities

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Actions

[{"kind":"motion","identifiers":{"agenda_item_id":"HB74-floor"},"motion":"Adopt technical and liability-limiting amendments and pass HB 74","mover":"Speaker Pro Tem Mike Johnson","second":"","vote_record":[],"tally":{"yes":100,"no":0},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Clerk-recorded unanimous passage on the floor; amendments clarified manufacturer immunity and fund rules."}]

discussion_decision":{"discussion_points":["How manufacturers would process suspension requests","Whether dealers or manufacturers should receive the paperwork","Creation of a survivor fund funded by fines"],"directions":["Amendments added to clarify immunity for manufacturers who comply and to specify the survivor empowerment fund rules"],"decisions":["Bill approved unanimously; amendments added to address liability and fund details"]}

clarifying_details

[{"category":"process","detail":"Survivor must submit a certified copy of a protective order and use a standardized remote‑access suspension request form; manufacturers must provide an online portal to receive requests","source_speaker":"Speaker Pro Tem Mike Johnson"},{"category":"funding","detail":"A 'survivor empowerment fund' will be seeded by fines collected from manufacturers who violate the law","source_speaker":"Speaker Pro Tem Mike Johnson"}],

proper_names

[{"name":"Survivor Empowerment Fund","type":"program"},{"name":"Speaker Pro Tempore Mike Johnson","type":"person"}],

searchable_tags

["domestic-violence","vehicle-telemetry","consumer-protection","automotive"],

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