Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Committee advances bill banning automakers from charging subscription fees for built‑in vehicle functions
Loading...
Summary
Senate Bill 577 would prohibit manufacturers and distributors from charging recurring fees to maintain certain vehicle functions, such as autonomous‑driving, adaptive cruise control and lane‑keeping; the committee reported the bill to the full Senate with a Finance reference
Senate Bill 577 would bar automobile manufacturers and their distribution chains from charging fees or subscriptions to maintain certain vehicle functions and features. Committee counsel told senators the prohibition would not apply to upgrades to navigation or entertainment systems.
“Examples of the type of practices prohibited by this bill would be autonomous driving features, remote start features, adaptive cruise control, and lane keeping functions,” counsel said. Counsel added some manufacturers have begun charging for heated seats and other services and said the bill addresses features that are active at purchase but later moved to subscription models.
Senators discussed whether other states had enacted similar laws; counsel said they were not aware of specific states that have passed matching legislation. After brief discussion, the vice chair moved and the committee voted to report SB577 to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass and to forward the bill to the Committee on Finance under the original double reference.
