The cradle of American automotive innovation has in the past decade migrated 2,000 miles from Detroit to Silicon Valley, where autonomous vehicles and other advanced technology is coming to life.

In a bid to reclaim the mantle for Motown, Michigan lawmakers have introduced legislation that could make their state the best place in the country, if not the world, to develop self-driving vehicles and put them on the road. But this being Michigan, it's no surprise the proposals favor industry players and could inadvertently (or intentionally) criminalize some research.

“Michigan’s dominance in auto research and development is under attack from several states and countries who desire to supplant our leadership in transportation. We can’t let that happen," says senator Mike Kowall, the lead sponsor of four bills introduced Wednesday.

If Senate Bills 995, 996, 997, and 998 all pass as written, they'd represent a substantial update of Michigan's 2013 law that allowed the testing of autonomous vehicles in limited conditions. Manufacturers would have nearly free rein to test their autonomous technology on public roads. They'd be allowed to send platoons of autonomous cars on cross-state road trips, and even set up on-demand fleets of self-driving cars—like the one General Motors and Lyft are building.

Ann Arbor's "Mcity," where developers test autonomous tech, would get a big brother testing center on the site of the Willow Run bomber plant, built by Ford during World War II. Manufacturers and licensed mechanics wouldn't be responsible if "an unauthorized person" modified their autonomous technology. That last change is related to two bills Kowall introduced in late April, which would make it a felony for anyone to gain access to a car's electronic system to damage, alter, or take control of the car. Punishment for that sort of hacking could include life in prison.

"These bills are a mixed bag," says Bryant Walker Smith, an expert in autonomous vehicles at the University of South Carolina School of Law and the Center for Internet and Society. He says lawmakers clearly want to make the state ready for the commercial application of autonomous tech.In contrast, California, home of Silicon Valley, recently proposed far more restrictive rules that would require human drivers be ready to take the wheel, and ban commercial use of autonomous tech.

But Smith worries some aspects of these bills "could criminalize many kinds of vehicle research." That's because any modification of self-driving systems, even for research purposes, would be made illegal. Moreover, it's unclear who exactly would be the responsible party. The legislation says the automated driving system is the legal operator, but, Smith says, "It's not clear what this means or to what it extends, and it will require substantial clarification." Obviously a computer is not a person, "so it's unclear how motor vehicle laws related to insurance or liability would apply." In contrast, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's announcement in February that it would count computers as human drivers is a "less dramatic legal move" that allows Google to move ahead with its plan to get rid of the steering wheel and pedals, without thinking about liability concerns just yet.

Tony Avelar/AP

The big three automakers—General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler—support the legislation, according to The Detroit News. That's no surprise, since the bills reserve the right to operate on-demand robo-fleets for "motor vehicle manufacturers." That would seem to disqualify folks like Google, Lyft, and Uber, but those since each of those three has recently teamed up with a big automaker (with Chrysler, GM, and Toyota, respectively) they might be okay.

Even if Michigan's legislators figure all this out, and the governor (who's bullish on automation) signs these bills into law, it's not necessarily an advance for the technology. Nationwide, a patchwork of laws governs the technology in Nevada, California, Michigan, Florida, and Washington, D.C. That's not much of a problem now, but it will be by the time the technology is ready for the masses. Automakers are going to want one cohesive set of rules.

They're coming. In January, transportation secretary Anthony Foxx ordered the Department of Transportation to draft comprehensive model legislation governing autonomous driving testing and regulation. The DOT declined to comment on Michigan's proposal, but says it will issue "model state policy that will encourage innovation by building a unified national framework for autonomous vehicles" this summer. But if Michigan's bent on rebuilding Detroit, it could go its own way.