[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6625973,"mediaKeyId","2755150-ada5b12032a76eb10756060c09548b18","parentId",2755150,"title","Committee hears bill to set autonomous vehicle rulemaking framework; stakeholders express support and technical concerns","audioSeconds",2217,"startMs",1261000,"endMs",3478000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2755150-ada5b12032a76eb10756060c09548b18&start=1261&end=3478","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2755150-ada5b12032a76eb10756060c09548b18/thumbnail_1261000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6625973/Montana/Committee-hears-bill-to-set-autonomous-vehicle-rulemaking-framework-stakeholders-express-support-and-technical-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6625973-9ac5f746904e43a1734eed8fb630b182/orig.mp4?Expires=1771121219&Signature=JfAdMLJUJhYATbRax5ccI-g97CXdqC--yW4-oaQ7-g-StllDHDsugn1~SsE-1Hbfxl4Ah6mLPSa7JHXl1hriqMnSbmmwRSec0KJt1oyhCl90X7emSZpkW-or8--kM6oBshhYkgJiHQvGY-i3T46zj51yqp6hvwwHwFGFqQUyljnaZNbolOlPLtw5baNeTT6UWZvZUVWSwVlMKkzc6sWdhBk4QBOaN9EDgvjcp38N75EV2k7N4X1av-zP6mQJ-4MUdq5CvlKae10Iw53zNFukaBAVBYLXFd9EopSeVZuFaTPPepZ7pC3a1pFCqLMmrILQLwC-N-a9Hw6fyRhsCqgQLg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Montana Legislature","date","2025-03-24T00:00:00Z","article","Senator Danley Logie introduced Senate Bill 67, a framework directing the Montana Department of Transportation and the Department of Justice to develop rules and guidance for automated driving systems and commercial autonomous vehicles (CMVs). He told the House Transportation Committee the bill aims to promote safety while allowing the state to work with rapidly evolving technology.

The bill sets out definitions for automation levels (1 through 5) and assigns rulemaking responsibilities to MDT and DOJ, with the agencies to coordinate on guidance and standards for testing and deployment. “The idea is not to stop autonomous vehicles, but to work with the technology and create some safe guidelines for Montanans traveling,” Logie said.

Supporters included the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Tesla, Teamsters local representatives and MDT motor carrier staff. The Alliance said it supported the bill’s approach to provide state guidance while acknowledging the need for national consistency: “When states start to come in and look at wanting to regulate what we have, laws should at least be consistent from state to state,” an industry witness told the committee. Tesla’s representative urged support and said the bill struck an appropriate balance between safety and innovation.

MDT’s motor carrier administrator, Eric Belford, told the committee the bill gives Montana \"sideboards\" for CMV automation and uniformity across jurisdictions, but it would not require a special permit for autonomous commercial vehicle operations as written; enforcement of moving violations would remain with agencies that have that authority. Belford said the bill gives MDT flexibility to adapt rules as technology advances.

Opposition and technical concerns: Mark Scribner of Reason Foundation was recorded as an opponent and summarized technical concerns in written comments. He recommended aligning statutory definitions with SAE J3016 (the widely used international recommended practice on driving automation levels) and said the bill’s current definitions mix automation levels in a way that could under‑ or over‑regulate systems. He also warned that splitting rulemaking authority between two agencies risks coordination delays and noted the lack of consensus technical standards for proving a vehicle can “operate safely during dangerous road conditions.” “I do have some concerns about the bill,” Scribner told the committee.

Committee members pressed the sponsor and witnesses on multiple technical points: the difference between level 2 (driver assistance) and level 3 systems (which may require a fallback ready user), whether the bill should require a fallback user to hold a valid driver’s license, how first‑responder interaction protocols would be standardized, and the fiscal note that listed $231,000 for rulemaking that stakeholders questioned. The sponsor said the departments would coordinate and that discussions with manufacturers, carriers and first responders would inform rulemaking.

No committee vote occurred at the hearing; the sponsor closed by saying the bill’s goal is to create Montana‑specific safety guidelines while allowing the technology to progress.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Transportation - Mar 24, 2025 16:15 - 19:15","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 67 would direct MDT and the Department of Justice to develop rules governing levels 3–5 automated driving systems and commercial autonomous vehicles. Industry groups supported the bill; technical experts raised concerns about definitions, testing standards and first‑responder protocols. No committee vote was recorded.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MT, Montana","taxId",77694,"location","Montana","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6625978,"Bill would let Montana counties set 25 mph speed limits in defined \"urban districts\"",944,279000,1223000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2755150-ada5b12032a76eb10756060c09548b18&start=279&end=1223","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2755150-ada5b12032a76eb10756060c09548b18/thumbnail_279000.jpg","/articles/6625978/Montana/Bill-would-let-Montana-counties-set-25-mph-speed-limits-in-defined-urban-districts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6625978-2dbbc6af5223b8487481339427b1aef9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771121219&Signature=IqE8S60lEZP2idpP-Fm-I3-q76wqYtvX1WRUzd1lPOx3eR4kNbqgz7iEvXpoWiyhHoRbnEevzBYFkis7hiPXMAIN6C0D0PZbo7aOg2mpXG7A4gJCNvbS33HfpSobBjEVCkLVfr826B8DOMDylZQIphSkHjxznwOocCfW5klF62rEcbA8Q8nQS7WofDWqw87DV4UTC4V2jrkSuv65SIFpfPBzEvTaDGsMZ0mOKCGfJ8e2R2Uinl7GviHXj8M8k4J2LXikb~JGCPwqEFrhbY-EgQXq2BB3Hh5UOdKZT5yFjj-FIgXpGTFKL~YbHvoP1Hw8mwpGvHaAPyzO7yzLian0tA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Will Street introduced Senate Bill 428 on behalf of the sponsor, saying the bill would allow county governments to lower speed limits to 25 miles per hour in defined \"urban districts.\" He told the House Transportation Committee the change responds to constituent requests and that current law limits counties to 35 mph.

The bill defines an \"urban district\" for this purpose as an area where businesses or houses are situated at intervals of 100 feet or less for a distance of one quarter mile or more. “All I’m asking in this bill is you to push the bill forward to allow county governments to reduce the speed limit in urban districts to 25 miles an hour,” Senator Street said during opening remarks.

Why it matters: the change would expand local authority outside municipal boundaries. Proponents said communities off municipal rolls have repeatedly asked why counties cannot set lower limits. The sponsor emphasized the proposal is permissive — county commissioners would not be required to change existing limits and could act only if an area meets the statutory definition.

Engineering and enforcement context: Gabe Preebe, traffic and safety engineer with the Montana Department of Transportation, appeared as an informational witness and told the committee that statutory speed limits already specify a range of default speeds and that establishing special speed zones under Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) jurisdiction normally requires an engineering and traffic study presented to the Transportation Commission. Preebe said the bill applies to non‑MDT routes under county jurisdiction and that MDT would not be involved for those local routes. He also summarized crash‑survivability differences at various speeds and agreed to provide the committee the numerical survivability data he referenced.

Committee members pressed the sponsor and MDT staff on jurisdictional lines (for example, whether particular Frenchtown roads are county or state routes) and on the process for designating a segment as an urban district. Senator Street said a petition from local residents to the county commission and follow‑up measurements by the county surveyor or public works director would typically determine whether the statutory definition is met. Representative Cochran and others asked whether the bill would affect state highway miles; MDT staff said the bill would not apply to MDT routes.

No formal committee action or vote was recorded at the hearing; the sponsor closed by reiterating that the authority would be used at the county commissioners’ discretion and only where the statutory urban‑district definition is met.

The committee accepted no in‑person proponents or opponents at the hearing; MDT served as the informational witness and expressed no objections to the bill as written.","Senator Will Street introduced Senate Bill 428 to allow county governments to reduce speed limits to 25 mph in areas meeting a state definition of \"urban district.\" The Montana Department of Transportation offered engineering context and said it had no objection; no committee vote was taken.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee hears bill to set autonomous vehicle rulemaking framework; stakeholders express support and technical concerns

Bill would let Montana counties set 25 mph speed limits in defined "urban districts"