Ohio lawmakers want to boost automated vehicle testing in the state.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is asking the U.S. Transportation Secretary to reverse an Obama-era policy that keeps the Transportation Research Center in East Liberty from getting some federal money to test self-driving cars.

Ohio lawmakers say this is the perfect place to test self-driving cars.

They say it’s the largest and most sophisticated independent vehicle testing ground in North America.

Lawmakers in Ohio said they were puzzled when the Obama administration left East Liberty’s Transportation Research Center off a list of nationally designated test sites for autonomous vehicles.

Congressman Steve Stivers said the ten testing centers that made the list, have access to certain partnerships and federal funding.

In a letter to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Republican and Democratic lawmakers said Ohio is being shut-out for no reason.

They are asking Chao to reconsider.

Congressman Bill Johnson says it just makes sense to test driverless cars at the center, because it’s already home to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association vehicle research and testing center.