A bill that would allow companies like Ford, Google and Uber to more easily test and deploy self-driving cars on U.S. roads inched ahead in Congress on Thursday, after House lawmakers voted to send it to the full chamber for consideration. It's still far from becoming law, but its Democratic and Republican authors on the supportive House Energy and Commerce Committee believe their rare bipartisan proposal has a shot at success -- despite tougher-than-ever partisan divisions on Capitol Hill. As it stands, the Safely Ensuring Lives Future Deployment and Research In Vehicle Evolution Act -- roughly abbreviated as the SELF DRIVE Act -- would allow companies over time to test as many as 100,000 highly autonomous vehicles in the United States. To do it, tech and auto giants would have to prove to the U.S. government that their self-driving technology is just as safe as old-fashioned cars currently on the country's roads. In exchange, the Department of Transportation can exempt those autonomous vehicles from some federal safety requirements -- including, potentially, rules that require them to have steering wheels.