US Senate panel approves self-driving car legislation

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill to speed self-driving cars to market without human controls and bar states from imposing regulatory road blocks.

The bill still must be approved by the full Senate. The U.S. House passed a similar version last month unanimously. General Motors Co, Alphabet Inc, Ford Motor Co and others have lobbied for the landmark legislation. Despite some Republicans complaint, the Senate bill does not include large commercial trucks after labor unions raised safety and employment concerns.

(Reporting by David Shepardson)