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Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri House Bill 2208 sets legal and operating rules for driverless autonomous vehicles
Last action · January 21, 2026: HCS Reported Do Pass (H)Sponsor: Don Mayhew
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What This Bill Would Do
This bill establishes a comprehensive legal framework for operating fully autonomous vehicles without a human driver on Missouri public roads, requiring safety compliance, proof of financial responsibility, and a law enforcement plan. It defines s as the legal driver when engaged and preempts local governments from enacting specific taxes or bans.
Vehicle owners, transportation network companies, and local municipalities face new state-level uniform standards, shifting liability to automated systems and restricting cities from imposing local fees or operating bans.
- House Bill 2208 was introduced during the 2026 Regular Session of the 103rd General Assembly by Representative Don Mayhew. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Vehicle owners
Owners must submit proof of financial responsibility, register and title vehicles as autonomous, and ensure compliance with law enforcement plan filings.
Local entities and municipalities
Local governments are barred from prohibiting autonomous vehicle operations or imposing local taxes, fees, or performance standards.
Department of Public Safety
The department receives law enforcement plans, may grant exemptions, and is the sole agency authorized to promulgate rules for implementation.
Key Facts
- A person may operate a fully autonomous vehicle on public roads without a human driver if the automated driving system is engaged and capable of achieving a minimal risk condition upon failure.
- Operators must submit a law enforcement plan to the department of public safety detailing fleet support contact, towing procedures, and hazard identification before operation.
- When an automated driving system is engaged, it is legally considered the driver or operator and is deemed licensed to operate the vehicle.
- Owners must submit proof of financial responsibility to the department of revenue before operating a fully autonomous vehicle without a human driver.
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- Vehicles involved in a crash must remain on the scene and report collisions consistent with existing traffic laws.
- On-demand autonomous vehicle networks are permitted to operate under existing ground transportation laws while exempting provisions that apply only to human drivers.
- Fully autonomous vehicles must be properly registered and titled in accordance with chapter 301 and identified as autonomous on registration and title documents.
- Local entities, municipalities, and political subdivisions are prohibited from banning autonomous vehicles or imposing local taxes, fees, or specific performance standards.
- The department of public safety is designated as the sole agency to implement these sections through promulgated rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can fully autonomous vehicles be operated without a human driver in Missouri under this bill?
Who is considered the legal driver when the automated driving system is engaged?
Can local cities or counties ban autonomous vehicles or impose local fees?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
8 actions- Jan 21, 2026HouseCommitteeHCS Reported Do Pass (H)
- Jan 20, 2026HouseCommitteeHCS Voted Do Pass (H)
- Jan 20, 2026HouseExecutive Session Completed (H)
- Jan 12, 2026HousePublic Hearing Completed (H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Emerging Issues(H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseFloorRead Second Time (H)
Show 2 earlier actions
- Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroducedRead First Time (H)
- Dec 5, 2025HouseIntroducedPrefiled (H)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
State Preemption of Local Authority
The bill explicitly strips local municipalities of the power to tax, fee, regulate, or ban autonomous vehicles, centralizing regulatory authority entirely within the state Department of Public Safety.
Connected Entities
Sources
house.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance80How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
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