Safely Ensuring Lives Future Deployment and Research in Vehicle Evolution Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the bipartisan approach to autonomous vehicles reflected in the SELF DRIVE Act. As ranking member of the Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee, I have been so pleased to be able to work with Chairman Latta to reach agreements on the legislation before the House today. It is not the bill I think that either one of us would have written on our own, but it does reflect a bipartisan agreement that we reached after months of negotiation, and I appreciate that very much.

Autonomous vehicles have great potential to improve safety on our roads by reducing accidents caused by human error, which most accidents are. My goal throughout this process has been to make sure that this technology is deployed safely and that we also advance existing safety technologies.

The SELF DRIVE Act lays out a framework for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, to promote safe adoption of Avs. Mandatory safety assessment certifications will ensure that NHTSA receives the data that it needs to evaluate safety as autonomous vehicles appear on our roads. Within a year of enactment, NHTSA will lay out a priority plan for what new safety standards need to be written and which existing standards must be updated. In addition, the bill requires manufacturers to write cybersecurity and consumer privacy plans as they develop AV technology.

The legislation allows for exemptions to existing vehicle safety standards. For example, there may be some vehicles that really don't need a steering wheel. It is hard to imagine now. But we ensure that NHTSA explains its process for granting any safety exemptions. The maximum number of exemptions per automobile will scale up incrementally.

To receive an exemption, a manufacturer must show equivalent safety, a manufacturer must report crashes involving exempted vehicles, and exempted vehicles must be listed in a public database.

This bill also has safety improvements that go beyond autonomous vehicles. NHTSA will work to improve the performance of headlamps. In 2 years, NHTSA will issue a rule requiring an alert system to warn drivers if a child or pet is left in the backseat. Already this year, 37 children have died from heatstroke after being left in hot cars. This hot cars provision, which Congressman Tim Ryan, Congressman Peter King, and I introduced as a standalone bill, will save lives.

A broad range of stakeholders have been involved and will be involved in the future of self-driving workers. That is why we set up an advisory council which will include industry, academics, labor, State and local government, consumer advocates, and environmental experts.

As self-driving cars are developed, we must examine critical issues. Will seniors and people with disabilities share in the benefits of autonomous vehicles? Ensuring accessibility may require further policy changes. We also need to grapple with the disruption self-driving cars may cause in employment. Even though this legislation generally excludes commercial vehicles--and additional clarity may be needed-- self-driving cars may displace workers who make their livelihoods behind the wheel.

Once the House passes this bill, I look forward to working with stakeholders and our Senate colleagues to send consensus legislation to the President's desk. I believe we could go further to improve consumer safety and strengthen protections to put consumers in control of their data. We must also keep working to refine the Federal, State, and local roles in ensuring safe roads and protecting access to courts when necessary.

Mr. Speaker, today's vote is the next step in that process. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the SELF DRIVE Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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