* First, some background from Capitol News Illinois…

Legislation to test autonomous vehicles in Illinois may come up again in the November veto session, though the lead sponsor of a pilot bill says there’s still a lot of work to do. […]

[Rep. Kam Buckner’s] bill would create the Autonomous Vehicle Pilot Project Act, which would restrict testing to counties with over a million residents, as well as Sangamon County or the Metro East region of Madison, St. Clair and Monroe counties. […]

Bailey Koch-Farwana, a [Service Employees International Union Local 1] spokesperson, said that according to their economic analysis, every AV that hits the road replaces four human drivers. This is because AVs can operate 24/7 and do not need breaks. […]

“There’s a just transition that could happen, you know, for every driver that leaves the app, like the Uber or Lyft app, then a (driverless car) can enter the road,” Koch-Farwana said. “Right now, there’s nothing in that legislation that regulates that or even cares about the working people behind it.”

Buckner responded to criticism that AVs will take jobs away from rideshare drivers by saying that everyone needs to be part of the conversation as researchers explore how to implement these vehicles efficiently in the future.

On the other hand, Koch-Farwana said labor unions and rideshare drivers, who have been unionized since August, still haven’t been invited to the table.

* WBBM today…

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who was with SEIU to accept their endorsement for his campaign to be mayor of Chicago, expressed concerns about the impact on labor as well as road and passenger safety.

“Technology is changing the world,” Giannoulias acknowledged, but said he was concerned “that there are guardrails, and that we’re protecting working families.” […]

“I’m just assuming he’s been a little bit busy,” responded Rep. Buckner (D-26th District), in an apparent dig at the Secretary of State’s campaigning, “but it’s actually in the bill. Those are exactly the things we’ve been talking about as we work through this pilot.”

Rep. Buckner said he’s been talking to labor advocates, rideshare drivers and others to make sure their concerns are incorporated into the final proposal. He’s also reached out to the new Northern Illinois Transit Authority about how autonomous vehicles can be part of the area’s public transit solution. […]

“We’re trying to make sure we get this right,” Rep. Buckner said. “We’re not trying to jam autonomous vehicles through Springfield.”

Thoughts?