House Markup Hearing Advances 12 Auto Safety Bills — But Self-Driving Car Fight Splits Panel on Party Lines
Why it matters
The House Energy and Commerce Committee's Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee held a legislative markup session on February 10, 2026, advancing 12 motor vehicle safety bills to the full committee — but the centerpiece autonomous vehicle legislation barely survived on a razor-thin 12–11 party-line vote. The House markup hearing exposed a sharp divide: Republicans backed a federal framework to accelerate self-driving car deployment, while Democrats voted unanimously against what they view as premature preemption of state safety authority. The Trump administration has made autonomous vehicle deregulation a top priority through Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, putting the White House squarely behind the most contentious bill on the docket.
The big picture
Nearly 40,000 people died on U.S. roadways in 2024. That statistic anchored the February 2026 House bills markup in the Rayburn House Office Building hearing room, where Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12) opened by declaring "there is no partisan way to save lives."
The 119th Congress markup bills package was months in the making. The subcommittee held investigative hearings on autonomous vehicles in June 2025 and on the right-to-repair issue in January 2026 before moving to this markup. A Waymo self-driving car striking a child near a Santa Monica elementary school in January 2026 added urgency — and political volatility — to the proceedings.
Secretary Duffy's April 2025 Automated Vehicle Framework laid the regulatory groundwork, identifying "the accelerated establishment of a regulatory framework for AVs as one of the Department's top priorities" with a stated goal to "unleash innovation by removing unnecessary regulatory barriers." That posture aligns directly with the SELF DRIVE Act of 2026 (H.R. 7390), which would create federal safety standards by September 2027 and override state restrictions.
What they're saying
The House Energy Commerce Committee 2026 markup drew sharply defined positions from industry and safety advocates alike:
AVIA CEO Jeff Farrah: "This bill creates what autonomous vehicle leaders need: clear rules, strong safety standards, and the regulatory certainty needed to scale deployment nationwide."
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety called the SELF DRIVE Act "deeply flawed legislation" that "fails to ensure driverless cars will deliver on lofty promises of safety."
Consumer Reports submitted testimony noting automakers "routinely bundled core safety technologies with expensive, non-safety features, forcing consumers to pay thousands more."
Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-9) and all 11 Democrats on the panel voted against the SELF DRIVE Act. The National Governors Association also raised concerns about the bill's impact on state regulatory authority — a federalism argument that cuts across traditional party lines.
On the REPAIR Act (H.R. 1566), the Auto Care Association's Bill Hanvey praised the subcommittee for "protecting consumer choice and fairness in the automotive repair market." That bill passed by voice vote, as did 10 of the other 11 measures.
Political stakes from the House markup hearing
The narrow SELF DRIVE Act vote puts swing-district Republicans in a bind. Members like Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO-8) and Rep. Tom Kean (R-NJ-7) voted to advance a bill that pleases the tech industry but could become a liability if autonomous vehicle incidents keep making headlines. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI-6), representing Michigan's auto manufacturing heartland, faces unique cross-pressures between traditional industry interests and emerging AV policy.
For the administration, the markup validates its deregulatory agenda on autonomous vehicles. But the party-line split signals the SELF DRIVE Act faces a difficult path — particularly in the Senate, where bipartisan support would be necessary.
Democrats secured a tactical win: multiple Democratic-sponsored bills passed by voice vote, including Rep. Yvette Clarke's (D-NY-9) Magnus White Safe Streets for Everyone Act, Rep. Frank Pallone's (D-NJ-6) Safety is Not For Sale Act, and the Safe Vehicle Access for Survivors Act (H.R. 2110), which even the Alliance for Automotive Innovation supports.
The other side
Industry backers argue federal preemption is essential. Honda's Jennifer Thomas told Fox News the company supports "a single national standard for automated vehicle technology" rather than a patchwork of state rules. The Consumer Technology Association's Gary Shapiro warned Congress must act to ensure "America remains the global leader in mobility."
But the Automotive News headline the day after the markup captured the counterargument: "Waymo, Zoox crashes raise the question: Will U.S. tolerate robotaxi injuries as service scales?" Safety advocates contend the legislation moves faster than the technology's safety record warrants.
What's next
All 12 bills now advance to the full Energy and Commerce Committee for markup. The IIJA's surface transportation authorizations expire September 30, 2026 — creating a legislative vehicle into which many of these provisions could be folded. NHTSA is separately planning to propose three new autonomous vehicle rules in spring 2026, meaning the regulatory and legislative tracks are converging.
The SELF DRIVE Act's path remains the most uncertain. Members from both parties have committed to summer working sessions to refine the bill's language before full committee action.
The bottom line
Eleven of 12 bills sailed through on voice votes — proof that vehicle safety remains genuinely bipartisan territory — but the one bill the administration cares about most barely cleared the subcommittee.