The North Dakota Senate has passed a bill directing the state’s Department of Transportation to study the issue of data sharing in autonomous vehicles.

North Dakota House Bill 1202 passed 45-0 in the state Senate, after passing by a wide margin in the House.

The bill requires the North Dakota Department of Transportation to work with autonomous vehicle technology companies to “study the use of vehicles equipped with automated driving systems on the highways in this state and the data or information stored or gathered by the use of those vehicles.”

“The study must include a review of current laws dealing with licensing, registration, insurance, data ownership and use, and inspection and how they should apply to vehicles equipped with automated driving systems,” the bill says.

The Department of Transportation must report its findings and recommendations, along with any legislation required to implement the recommendations, to state lawmakers.

According to WDAY Channel 6 in Fargo, “senators unanimously rejected a related bill stating the owner of an autonomous vehicle owns any data or information stored or gathered by the car.”

“That bill would have also prevented a manufacturer, insurer or seller of autonomous vehicles from sharing identifying information without the car owner’s consent or a court order,” the TV station said on its website.