Minn. committee hears weeks of testimony on autonomous‑vehicle bill as advocates and labor clash; lawmakers defer vote

The Minnesota House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee took public testimony and debated more than a dozen amendments to House File 3513, legislation designed to create a statewide regulatory framework for connected and autonomous vehicles.

Authors and supporters said the bill will provide consistent statewide rules, improve safety and expand accessible mobility options for seniors and people with disabilities, while industry witnesses described national deployment experience and company safety metrics. "This is a bipartisan legislation that establishes a clear and predictable framework for autonomous vehicles operating in Minnesota," an author told the committee.

MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Toppin Barker urged continued discussion on permitting and enforcement. She said a permit structure should define an operator's operational design domain, include an enforcement plan with suspension and revocation authority and require registration with the Department of Public Safety.

Industry proponents described pilots and on‑demand services in other cities and argued that predictable regulation encourages investment. Adam Lane, a policy manager with an industry operator, cited company safety milestones and said fleets operate millions of miles nationally. Local pilot operators described accessible, on‑demand services in Eden Prairie with high user satisfaction and no accidents reported to date.

Disability advocates told the committee autonomous vehicles could restore independence for people who cannot drive but urged explicit accessibility requirements — including accessible in‑app experiences and wheelchair‑capable vehicles. Several testifiers provided personal testimony about missed work, medical trips and daily independence lost without reliable transportation.

Labor and transit advocates pressed caution, warning of job losses for drivers, potential adverse impacts on public transit and the need to protect workers and local revenue streams. Union representatives, rideshare drivers and the advocacy group Our Streets urged slower deployment, additional local control, and more robust reporting and labor protections.

Members debated numerous amendments requiring reporting on vehicle miles traveled, incident reporting, certification of remote operators, wheelchair‑accessible vehicle requirements and limits on where driverless passenger or goods vehicles may operate. The committee adopted several author amendments for technical fixes and referred author‑requested changes to continue work, but multiple member amendments failed to pass in roll calls or voice votes.

Lawmakers discussed a motion to send the bill to the Commerce Committee for insurance issues and to refer elements to Labor and Local Government, but an attempted referral did not prevail under the chamber's power‑sharing rules at that time. After debate and roll calls, the committee left the bill laid over for additional negotiation among stakeholders and scheduled further consideration at a later date.

The hearing combined technical fixes with broad policy questions about safety, equity, labor and accessibility; members said they intend to continue iterative work with MnDOT, DPS, industry representatives and community groups before the committee acts on a final bill.