House nears draft bill on self-driving cars

House lawmakers on Tuesday touted progress toward bipartisan legislation on self-driving cars, with plans to release draft language soon.

The development comes as pressure grows on Congress to quickly provide a regulatory framework for the fast-developing industry.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), the chairwoman of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on consumer protection, told reporters that draft sections would be released “very soon.”

A Schakowsky aide told reporters there will be a minimum of five new sections addressing self-driving cars to complement six draft sections released last year.

Those were seen as a breakthrough for Congress, coming years after lawmakers first began debating rules for self-driving cars. A spokesperson for Republicans on the committee confirmed to The Hill that the last drafts are set to be released this week.

Schakowsky’s comments came shortly after her committee held a hearing with a number of high-profile stakeholders on autonomous vehicles as Congress grapples with a number of complicated issues and different approaches to the emerging technology.