Domestic violence survivors can now disable abusers' remote vehicle access

What it does

This bill requires car manufacturers and connected vehicle service providers to disable or terminate an abuser's access to remote vehicle controls within 2 business days when a domestic violence survivor requests it. Survivors must provide the vehicle ID, abuser's name, and proof of ownership or a court order; providers must keep survivor information confidential and cannot charge fees or require account holder approval to comply. The FCC and NHTSA will issue regulations within 2 years on how to implement these protections.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a survivor-protection mandate: it creates a process for abuse survivors to disable an abuser's remote access to vehicles. This is a public-safety measure addressing a documented abuse vector (vehicle tracking and remote control), not a regulatory carve-out or industry subsidy.

What the text implies

• Preemption clause (Section 8) bars states from enacting stricter or parallel protections, potentially preventing states from requiring faster response times, broader definitions of abuse, or additional safeguards—a federal floor that may limit state innovation.
• Liability shield (Section 6) grants manufacturers immunity for 'any claims deriving from' compliance, which may insulate them from negligence claims if they disable access incorrectly, harm the survivor's vehicle, or fail to properly secure data during the process.
• Technical infeasibility exception (Section 3(e)) allows providers to decline requests if they claim operational or technical barriers, with only a requirement to notify the survivor—no mandate to invest in capability or timeline for remediation.
• Confidentiality destruction (Section 4(b)(1)) requires providers to delete survivor information within 90 days, which may complicate future requests, law enforcement cooperation, or the survivor's own record-keeping if the abuser re-offends.
• FCC rulemaking (Section 9) delegates detailed implementation to regulators, creating a 2-year gap during which providers have discretion on how to interpret 'reasonable steps' and 'promptly notify'—standards that may vary widely.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Domestic violence survivors gain a concrete safety tool—the ability to prevent abusers from using connected vehicle features to track, monitor, or remotely control vehicles. The bill imposes no cost on survivors, requires no court conviction, and protects confidentiality; the burden falls on manufacturers to implement a straightforward technical change within 180 days.

Named in the bill

Motor vehicle manufacturers, Connected vehicle service providers, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Domestic violence survivors, Abusers (restricted parties)

Where it stands

27 cosponsors: 25 Democrats, 2 Republicans.

• Mar 14, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Mar 14, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade”
• Feb 10, 2026 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

10 lobbying clients named this bill on 13 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $14,586,931 in lobbying spend. A filing names 14 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 91% of bills with at least one filing.

Debbie Dingell, the sponsor, reported $747,585 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle. $10,000 of that came from 1 PAC tied to these lobbying clients.

• Toyota Motor North America Inc (tma) — $3,483,687 on 2 filings
• General Motors Company — $3,460,000 on 1 filing
• Alliance for Automotive Innovation — $2,756,244 on 2 filings
• American Association for Justice — $1,840,000 on 1 filing
• American Honda Motor Co., Inc. — $1,477,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.