ENROLLED ORIGINAL
A RESOLUTION
25-743
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
December 3, 2024
To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend the Autonomous
Vehicle Act of 2012 to prohibit driverless testing of autonomous vehicles (“AV”) on
District roadways without an AV testing permit, and to require any person or entity testing
AVs with a test operator before an AV testing permit becomes available to provide notice
to the District Department of Transportation.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permit Requirement Second
Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2024”.
Sec. 2. (a) The Autonomous Vehicle Testing Program Amendment Act of 2020, effective
December 23, 2020 (D.C. Law 23-156; D.C. Official Code § 50-2351 et seq.), allowed autonomous
vehicle (“AV”) companies to test AVs on District roadways without an AV testing permit until
the District Department of Transportation (“DDOT”) makes the permit application available, after
which the AV company must apply for an AV testing permit or cease testing.
(b) To provide interim requirements with which AV testing companies must comply as
DDOT finalizes its rulemaking on the AV testing, the Council passed the Autonomous Vehicle
Testing Permit Requirement Temporary Amendment Act of 2024, effective June 1, 2024 (D.C.
Law 25-168; 71 DCR 4644) (“temporary act”). The temporary act is set to expire on January 12,
2025.
(c) The Public Life and Activity Zones Amendment (“PLAZA”) Act of 2024, as approved
by the Committee on Transportation and the Environment on November 25, 2024 (Committee
print of Bill 25-577) (“permanent law”), incorporates and makes permanent provisions from the
temporary act. However, if approved by the Council, the permanent law will not take effect before
the expiration of the temporary act.
(d) Without provisions of the temporary act or permanent law in place, DDOT cannot
conduct proper oversight over AV operations in the District, presenting safety challenges for all
roadway users.
(e) This second round of emergency legislation is necessary to prevent a gap in the law
between the expiration of the temporary act and the effective date of the permanent law.
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 ENROLLED ORIGINAL
Sec. 3. The Council finds that the circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute
emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permit
Requirement Second Emergency Amendment Act of 2024 be adopted after a single reading.
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
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