AJR164

A Joint Resolution establishing the “New Jersey Advanced Autonomous Vehicle Task Force.”

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. There is established a task force to be known as “New Jersey Advanced Autonomous Vehicle Task Force.” The purpose of the task force shall be to conduct a study of advanced autonomous vehicles and to make recommendations on laws, rules, and regulations that this State may enact to safely integrate advanced autonomous vehicles on the State’s highways, streets, and roads.

b. The task force shall consist of 7 members as follows:

(1) the Commissioner of Transportation, who shall serve ex officio, or the commissioner’s designee;

(2) the Chief Administrator of the Motor Vehicle Commission, who shall serve ex officio, or the chief administrator’s designee;

(3) the Director of the Division of Highway Traffic Safety in the Department of Law and Public Safety, who shall serve ex officio, or the director’s designee;

(4) two public members, who shall be appointed by the Governor, one with an expertise in highway transportation safety and one with an expertise in autonomous vehicle technology;

(5) one public member appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the President of the Senate, with an expertise in highway transportation safety; and

(6) one public member appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly, with an expertise in autonomous vehicle technology;

c. Within 90 days after the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), a majority of the task force's authorized membership shall be appointed and the task force shall hold its initial meeting. The task force shall organize upon the appointment of a majority of its authorized membership and shall elect a chair from among its members. The members of the task force shall serve for the duration of the existence of the task force. Any vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. The task force members shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties to the extent that funds are available for that purpose.

d. Not later than 180 days after the initial meeting of the task force, the task force shall issue a report to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature, which shall include, but not be limited to, an evaluation of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s safety standards for advanced autonomous vehicles and whether this State may enact stricter safety standards, an evaluation of existing state and federal law concerning advanced autonomous vehicles with a focus on safety standards, an evaluation of existing legislation and regulations in other states concerning advanced autonomous vehicles with a focus on safety standards, recommendations on how this State could safely integrate advanced autonomous vehicles on its highways, streets, and roads, any other information relevant to the subject of the report, and any draft legislation the task force deems appropriate to implement the purposes of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

e. The task force shall be entitled to the assistance and services of the employees of any State board, bureau, commission, or agency as it may require, and as may be available to it for these purposes including, but not limited to, stenographic and clerical assistants within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to it for its purposes.

f. The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and the Department of Transportation shall assist the task force in the performance of its duties and provide the task force with studies, data, or other materials in the possession of those entities, to the extent that such are relevant to the purposes of the task force.

g. As used in P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill):

“Advanced autonomous vehicle” means a motor vehicle equipped with autonomous technology that has a driving automation level of three, four, or five, as defined in the SAE J3016, which is an information report related to automated driving systems issued by the Society of Automotive Engineers International and is used by the United States Department of Transportation for autonomous vehicle policy guidance.

2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon the issuance of the report submitted by the task force pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

STATEMENT

This joint resolution establishes the “New Jersey Advanced Autonomous Vehicle Task Force” (task force). The task force is to conduct a study of advanced autonomous vehicles and to make recommendations on laws, rules, and regulations that this State may enact to safely integrate advanced autonomous vehicles on the State’s highways, streets, and roads. In this bill, an advanced autonomous vehicle means a motor vehicle equipped with autonomous technology that has a driving automation level of three, four, or five, as defined in the SAE J3016, which is an information report related to automated driving systems issued by the Society of Automotive Engineers International and is used by the United States Department of Transportation for autonomous vehicle policy guidance.

The bill requires the task force to issue a report to the Governor and Legislature, which is to include, but not be limited to, an evaluation of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s safety standards for advanced autonomous vehicles and whether this State may enact stricter safety standards, an evaluation of existing state and federal law concerning advanced autonomous vehicles with a focus on safety standards, an evaluation of existing legislation and regulations in other states concerning advanced autonomous vehicles with a focus on safety standards, recommendations on how New Jersey could safely integrate advanced autonomous vehicles on the highways, streets, and roads of this State, any other information relevant to the subject of the report, and any draft legislation the task force deems appropriate to implement the purposes of this bill.

The bill states that the task force is to expire upon the issuance of the report to the Governor and to the Legislature.