In the minds of some movers and shakers in the automobile industry, self-driving cars are the wave of the future. For investors and big business, the safe bet is that laissez-faire policies will win the day. But for consumers and workers, that very well may lead to unsafe and unstable futures.

And now politicians on Capitol Hill — in a rare act of bipartisanship — have passed legislation that threatens the safety of millions of motorists on U.S. roads and highways by stripping away state consumer protection regulation.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed by unanimous voice vote the Self Drive Act. This bill would permit companies developing autonomous vehicles to apply for exemptions from state and federal regulations that govern the cars' safety and design. The Senate must pass its own version of the bill for the legislation to proceed forward.