RELATING TO AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES.
Summary
Requires an automated vehicle used by a motor carrier to transport passengers commercially to have a human supervisor present in the vehicle. Establishes an income tax credit to incentivize the training of supervisors for autonomous vehicles. Sunsets 12/31/2036. Applies to taxable years beginning after 12/31/2026. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 22, 2026
Last action Feb 10, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
HB1797
→
HB1797_HD1
·
3 edits
MINOR
This bill version updates the effective date to July 1, 3000, and extends the sunset date for the tax credit provision to December 31, 2036. It also adds a new subsection allowing the Department of Taxation to hire a third-party administrator to verify training expenses and monitor the annual credit cap. The requirement for supervisors to be licensed remains, but the text was slightly cleaned up to remove redundant phrasing.
Scope change
The bill's scope regarding the sunset date for the tax credit was extended from 2038 to 2036, and the effective date was pushed forward to 3000, likely to allow for future legislative adjustments.
TIMELINE
The effective date of the Act was changed to July 1, 3000, and the sunset date for the tax credit was moved from December 31, 2038, to December 31, 2036.
ENFORCEMENT
A new provision allows the Department of Taxation to designate a third-party administrator to certify qualified training expenses and monitor compliance with the annual $1 million credit cap.
REQUIREMENT
Minor text cleanup was performed in the supervisor training requirements to improve readability and remove redundant language.
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
9
Key actions
1
Committee
3
Feb 9, 2026
Committee
Reported from TRN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 95-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to CPC.
lower
Feb 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
The committee on TRN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Kila, Miyake, Cochran, Grandinetti, Kitagawa, Muraoka; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Evslin, La Chica; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Pierick.
lower
Jan 26, 2026
Committee
Referred to TRN, CPC, FIN, referral sheet 1
lower
Jan 23, 2026
Introduced
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
lower
Jan 22, 2026
Introduced
Pending introduction.
lower
9 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about HB 1797
Scope: HI
Hi! I can help you understand HB 1797. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline