Bills › 91st General Assembly
Relating to the operation of driverless-capable vehicles, including associated civil and criminal liability, and making penalties applicable
Sponsored by the Senate Transportation Committee
Topics:Transportation
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedJanuary 21, 2026
- Done: SubcommitteeJanuary 21, 2026
- Done: Senate committeeFebruary 18, 2026
- Stopped: Passes the SenateDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: House committeeFunnel: by March 20, 2026
- Next: Passes the House
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The General Assembly adjourned on October 2, 2026. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
Under current law, a driverless-capable vehicle equipped with an automated driving system and meeting certain requirements is authorized to operate on highways while performing all real-time operational and tactical functions (dynamic driving task) regardless of whether a conventional human driver is present in the vehicle.519 and all applicable traffic and motor vehicle safety laws. This bill prohibits a driverless-capable vehicle transporting hazardous material from operating without a conventional human driver.
Read the full explanation
secretary of transportation to be capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported in commerce, and which has been so designated.482. A simple misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than days and a fine of at least $105 but not more than $855. Under current law, an automated driving system that is capable of performing the entire dynamic driving task must be designed to operate within the system’s operational design domain in compliance with the applicable traffic and motor vehicle safety laws and regulations that govern the performance of the dynamic driving task, unless an exemption has been granted to the vehicle by the department of transportation. The bill rephrases this provision to require the system to operate within the system’s operational design domain rather than be designed to operate in that manner. The bill imputes liability to the owner of a driverless-capable vehicle for personal injury, death, or property damage that results in connection with the operation of the vehicle and for violations of traffic or motor vehicle safety laws and regulations. A person who modifies an automated driving system of a driverless-capable vehicle without the manufacturer’s consent is liable for any damage related to the operation of the vehicle, unless the owner of the vehicle directed the person to modify the system, in which case the owner is liable.
From the explanation printed with the bill as introduced, written by the Legislative Services Agency. Amendments adopted later aren’t reflected. Full bill text
Senate subcommittee
Named January 21, 2026 (as SSB 3052). On February 5, 2026 it recommended amendment and passage.
Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part
1 written public comment to its subcommittee: February 16, 2026 (1) · on the Legislature’s site
Iowa Code it changes
Creates§321.515A
Amends§321.515
Read from the bill as introduced. Each links to every bill touching that chapter of the Iowa Code. How the Code works
Lobbying
3 for · 4 against · 15 undecided · Who →
Family tree
Where this legislation came from and where it went: earlier tries, the versions it moved through this Assembly, and later bills built on it.
Study bill
91st General Assembly
Earlier and later bills are matched by wording or an identical title; check the text to be sure it’s the same idea.