Committee hears targeted commercial autonomous vehicle bill; safety operator required

Representative Ashley Carrick (West Fairbanks) presented House Bill 217, a first hearing in the Community and Regional Affairs Committee that narrowly targets commercial autonomous vehicles used in interstate commerce. The sponsor said the bill would require a human safety operator in the vehicle and define technology terms so commonly used driver‑assist systems are not affected.

"By providing specific requirements for commercial autonomous vehicles relating to interstate commerce, goods, and passengers," Carrick said, the bill aims to keep drivers, pedestrians and other road users safe while narrowly tailoring the law to large commercial vehicles.

Derek Musto of Teamsters Local 959 testified in favor and said requiring a safety operator who holds a certified commercial driver’s license provides a reasonable safeguard given Alaska’s challenging road conditions: "House Bill 217 will ensure there's a safety operator who's fully capable of driving the vehicle," he said.

Committee members focused on carveouts in subsection b that exempt small delivery devices and personal, non‑commercial use. Representative Kai Holland and others pressed staff for clarity on whether autonomous taxis or small urban delivery robots would be captured; staff and the sponsor said the bill is explicitly limited to commercial vehicles (over 10,000 lb) engaged in interstate commerce and that recent amendments carve out sidewalk delivery robots and noncommercial uses.

Staff described a legal memo tying the bill to the Senate companion (SB 148) and said the federal executive order 14179 on AI and innovation does not conflict with the legislation as drafted.

Next steps: the committee set HB 217 aside for further consideration; members and sponsor indicated follow‑up work to refine exemptions.