To amend chapter 301 of subtitle VI of title 49, United States Code, to require a cybersecurity plan for highly automated vehicles, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3388) to provide for information on highly automated driving systems to be made available to prospective buyers, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), who is the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and I would like to thank him for all the work he has done on this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, first, let me just thank the gentlewoman from Illinois, the ranking member on the subcommittee, for her hard work on the legislation. I really appreciate it.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of H.R. 3388, the SELF DRIVE Act, which we advanced out of the Energy and Commerce Committee on a unanimous, bipartisan vote of 54-0 in July. This compromise legislation aims to improve consumer safety by reducing traffic-related fatalities and injuries, clarify the Federal and State roles, and stimulate job growth and economic opportunities.

Many of you have heard these roadway safety statistics, but they again bear repeating. Each year, approximately 6 million Americans are involved in car accidents resulting in nearly 2 million injuries. Ninety-four percent of the accidents are attributed to human errors or decisions. In 2016 approximately 40,000 people lost their lives on U.S. highways. Sadly, in my home State of Ohio, traffic deaths have been on the rise over the last few years.

We have an opportunity today to support and promote the safe testing and deploying of this life-saving technology. U.S. companies are investing major resources in the research and development of this technology and should not be held up by regulatory barriers that were created when self-driving cars were science fiction. We must act, and we must act now.

The SELF DRIVE Act establishes a streamlined path for the testing, development, and deployment of self-driving cars in the United States. While this technology is currently being tested in certain parts of the country, there are limits to who can test and what technology can be used in cars today. Federal motor vehicle safety standards need to be updated because self-driving cars may not have the traditional steering wheels and brake pedals that all cars have today.

Additionally, this legislation maximizes opportunities for research and development here in the United States to create jobs and grow economic opportunities so that the United States can remain a global leader in this industry. With this legislation, innovation can flourish without the heavy hand of government.

Finally, this legislation will enhance the ability of our senior citizens, the disability community, and individuals in underserved communities enjoy more mobility and live more independently.

This legislation is the first of its kind, focused on the car of the future that is more of a supercomputer on wheels. This issue started with our good friend and colleague, Dr. Burgess, who held the first disrupter series hearing on self-driving cars last Congress.

Again, we would also not be where we are today if it weren't for the leadership of Chairperson Walden and the great working relationship and cooperation of Ranking Member Pallone, Ranking Member Schakowsky, and Ranking Member Dingell, as well as our many cosponsors. I appreciate their comments, suggestions, and input.

We have held multiple hearings, technology showcases, and real-life demonstrations for our committee's members to learn about the opportunities and challenges presented by self-driving cars.

I also want to acknowledge the stakeholders who have been willing to work with us. The automotive industry is a competitive and vibrant marketplace and touches every congressional district in the country.

In the process of drafting and marking up this legislation, we had over 300 meetings with automakers, tech companies, suppliers, trade associations, the disability community, senior State transportation leaders, and, last but not least, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Safety should and always will be our number one priority. We have said and will continue to say: Safety first, safety last, safety always. I truly believe this bill will make a real difference for everyday Americans.

In closing, I want to thank our great staff for their hard work late nights and weekends to get us where we are to this historic vote.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton), chairman of the Energy Subcommittee on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess), chairman of the Health Subcommittee on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Harper), vice chairman of the Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Lance).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Bucshon).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Mimi Walters).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Costello).

Mr. Speaker, again, I thank the gentlewoman, the ranking member on the subcommittee, for all of her hard work on this legislation. Again, we wouldn't be here without the bipartisanship that we had on this piece of legislation.

Also, again, I want to thank our staff. There were a lot of weekends and nights that they put in to make sure that we got this bill to where we are today.

But, again, as has been mentioned today, we have been talking about what this legislation is going to do. We have been looking at safety, cybersecurity, privacy, making sure that some folks in the community right now who aren't able to get out, some of our senior population, and those with disabilities, have the ability to be able to get around to go to jobs and go to the grocery store.

The legislation has been a culmination of a lot of work over two sessions. Again, I want to thank Dr. Burgess for his hard work that he did in the last Congress as the chairman of the subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), the ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and I thank him for his support.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui), a member of the Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee and a major contributor to this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Dingell), a member of the Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee and someone who has put in a lot of time and effort on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I am now pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from the great State of New York (Ms. Clarke), a member of our subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney), my colleague on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time I have remaining?

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the Congressman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson), the ranking member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan), the sponsor and my partner on the HOT CARS Act, included in this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, let me just say some thank yous. I thank the chairman of our subcommittee, Chairman Latta, for his great work. I also thank Chairman Walden, and, of course, all of the staff on his side of the aisle for their work to help us reach this bipartisan agreement. I especially want to thank them for the inclusion of the HOT CARS legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Pallone on our side and also thank Michelle Ash, Lisa Goldman, Caroline Paris-Behr, and my staff, Matt Hayward, for their great work on the subcommittee on this legislation.

We will continue working together to send consensus legislation. I appreciate the opportunity to work with Chairman Latta and to get this to the floor today as a suspension bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3388, the SELF DRIVE Act. Connected and automated vehicles are a rapidly evolving technology that are novel today, but will be a reality tomorrow. This legislation will provide the auto industry, consumers, and policymakers with the certainty they need to advance automated vehicle technology. Automated vehicles have the potential to increase safety, improve mobility, and decrease congestion while improving the efficiency of our transportation network.

As the co-chairman of the Congressional Unmanned Systems Caucus and an engineer, I have for the past three years been convening automated vehicle stakeholders to discuss the policy issues related to the development and deployment of these new technologies. In addition, I authored the Future TRIP Act during the 114th Congress. Key provisions of that bill, including the establishment of a regional transportation center to study automated vehicles were passed into law in the FAST Act. It is imperative that we maintain the United States' manufacturing.

I commend my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee for their bipartisan work on this important legislation. The SELF DRIVE Act includes language will promote industry growth by preventing a potentially stifling patchwork of differing local regulations. By asserting the authority of the federal government to regulate these vehicles and corresponding safety standards, the Committee has struck the right balance by allowing states to retain their traditional roles in driver licensing, insurance, and vehicle registration in a way that does not impede innovation. In addition, I am pleased that the bill enables the Department of Transportation to review the vehicle systems through the Safety Assessment Letter process.

Automated vehicles are highly complex, and present a number of equally complex policy considerations. While this bill is a significant step forward in defining the federal government's role in this emerging technology, I believe there is more work to be done with respect to ensuring that NHTSA has appropriate resources to carry out the federal role in oversight and regulation, and to ensuring the privacy of consumers' data. Data sharing between government and industry holds the possibility of improving safety operations and performance, but must be a collaborative partnership, and must protect consumers' personally identifiable data.

For that reason, I have an amendment that has been made in order to the Fiscal Year 2018 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development appropriations bill, that we will consider later today. The amendment will provide the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with an additional $9 million for the Salaries and Expenses account. These funds will enable the agency to expand its workforce, define new testing protocols as the technology emerges, and better partner with industry and state and local governments to conduct adequate oversight.

In addition, I continue to have concerns about the collection, use, and privacy of consumers' data. A recent report issued at the direction of myself and my colleague, Congresswoman Comstock, the Government Accountability Office found while nearly all of the major auto manufacturers now offer vehicles with connected technologies, NHTSA has not clearly defined its roles and responsibilities as they relate to the privacy of vehicle data, making it difficult for NHTSA to coordinate with other federal agencies to effectively oversee these emerging technologies.

We still have important issues to consider, including insurance, cyber-security, and data sharing. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with my colleagues to examine this evolving industry, and defining the federal government's role in promoting industry while protecting the public. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, let me thank the majority and minority of the Energy and Commerce Committee for bringing this unanimous legislation to the floor on self-driving vehicles, which are revolutionizing the way we conceptualize travel.

Self-driving cars have the potential to lower our infrastructure and mobility costs, enhance safety on our roads, and enhance mobility in our cities.

However, like any complex technology, self-driving cars pose new challenges for the regulatory landscape and our labor markets. That is why I am pleased to support H.R. 3388, the SELF DRIVE Act, which seeks to foster innovation in this space while offering protection for consumers.

The SELF DRIVE Act is one of the many important bills that will need to be considered by Congress in order to define Federal and State regulatory roles, provide the U.S. Department of Transportation the tools it needs to update safety standards, and ensure that the American people are not left behind as we transition to a 21st century workforce. Particularly, I am pleased to see that H.R. 3388 allows the creation of the Highly Automated Vehicle Advisory Council.

Mr. Speaker, self-driving vehicles are revolutionizing the way that we conceptualize travel. Self-driving cars have the potential to lower our infrastructure and mobility costs, enhance safety on our roads, and enhance mobility within our cities. However, like any complex technology, self-driving cars pose new challenges for the regulatory landscape and our labor markets. That is why I am pleased to support H.R. 3388--the SELF DRIVE Act, which seeks to foster innovation in this space while offering protection for consumers.

The SELF DRIVE Act is one of many important bills that will need to be considered by Congress in order to define federal and state regulatory roles, provide the U.S. Department of Transportation the tools it needs to update safety standards, and ensure that the American people are not left behind as we transition to a 21st Century workforce. In particular, I am pleased to see that H.R. 3388 allows for the creation of a Highly Automated Vehicle Advisory Council, which can properly consider the labor and employment issues that may be affected by the deployment of highly automated vehicles.

I have been working on separate legislation to create a new retraining program for workers who are displaced from their jobs due to the adoption of autonomous vehicle technology. I am very grateful for Representative Joe Barton and Representative Bob Latta's staff for working with my office to craft and refine that legislation. I believe that we are getting closer to a final product, which will ultimately recognize the inevitable changes to the labor market that this country will experience in the face of automated technologies.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support H.R. 3388. I know that members of the Energy & Commerce Committee have worked tirelessly to bring this measure to the floor after hundreds of meetings with relevant stakeholders. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill and look forward to working cooperatively with members on other bills that will address other aspects of self-driving vehicles and the ramifications that will have on our economy and our country.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have put enormous work into that, all the members of the committee, and especially Mr. Latta for his great leadership.

Today marks a really important milestone in the pursuit to make our roadways safer and support American leadership in self-driving innovation. So the SELF DRIVE Act, H.R. 3388, is something we can all support.

Simply put, the rapidly advancing technology behind highly autonomous vehicles is stunning. I speak from some experience because a few months ago I got the opportunity to ride in a self-driving car with engineers and experienced a vehicle perform without any need for human intervention.

Though we can look to a future that fulfills the promise of these innovations, we cannot ignore the current troubling trend in the number of lives that are lost on our roadways in America. Given the latest roadway fatality numbers, this technology is especially needed today.

Almost 40,000 people lost their lives on our roads last year. That represents another yearly increase in traffic-related fatalities. In my own State of Oregon, traffic fatalities were the highest they have seen in 14 years--up 20 percent from the prior year.

Statistics tell us 94 percent of accidents relate to human behavior. During our morning commute into work, just look around. We see folks on their phones in the cars next to us doing other things. While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration can't write a safety standard to make us all perfect drivers, it can work to avoid lifesaving technologies to avoid collisions. That is part of what this bipartisan legislation will put in place.

This bill is also about ensuring America stays a global leader in the development of self-driving technology. After all, the auto industry is responsible for more than 7 million American jobs nationwide and drives more than $900 billion into the economy each year. We want to see these numbers grow, we want this innovation to occur here, and we want to bring greater traffic safety to our roadways.

Additionally, self-driving cars hold the promise of better access to transportation for our Nation's 47 million senior citizens, 27 million Americans with severe disabilities, and the many communities across the country underserved by public transportation.

For Americans to enjoy all these benefits, we needed to put together a framework that is national and will drive it, and that is what this bill does.

I want to commend Mr. Latta, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Upton, Mrs. Dingell, and my friend, Frank Pallone, the ranking member on the committee, for all their great work on this legislation. We can be proud of the product the Energy and Commerce Committee has brought to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I urge people to support H.R. 3388.