[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1798 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1798
To prescribe standards for autonomous vehicles, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 15, 2025
Ms. Lummis introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To prescribe standards for autonomous vehicles, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Autonomous Vehicle Acceleration Act
of 2025''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) rapid advancements in autonomous vehicle technology
present significant opportunities to improve transportation
safety, efficiency, and mobility;
(2) current Federal motor vehicle safety standards were not
designed with fully autonomous vehicles in mind, creating
certification challenges and slowing design and production of
vehicles without drivers;
(3) maintaining global leadership in autonomous vehicle
technology will enhance the competitiveness of the United
States, foster economic growth, and spur innovation across the
domestic manufacturing sector; and
(4) the most advanced automated driving systems have
demonstrated safety records superior to human drivers in
comparable situations, indicating that maintaining regulatory
frameworks designed exclusively for human operators may delay
lifesaving technological implementation.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Autonomous vehicle.--
(A) In general.--The term ``autonomous vehicle''
means a vehicle equipped with an automated driving
system that is capable of performing the entire dynamic
driving task on a sustained basis without any expected
involvement by a human driver.
(B) Inclusions.--The term ``autonomous vehicle''
includes a vehicle equipped with a Level 4 or Level 5
automated driving system.
(2) FMVSS.--The term ``FMVSS'' means a Federal motor
vehicle safety standard prescribed under section 30111(a) of
title 49, United States Code.
(3) SAE international standard j3016.--The term ``SAE
International Standard J3016'' means SAE International
Recommended Practice entitled ``Taxonomy and Definitions for
Terms Related to Driving Automation Systems for On-Road Motor
Vehicles'', numbered J3016, and dated April 2021 (or a
successor standard adopted by the Secretary).
(4) SAE terms.--The terms ``automated driving system'',
``Level 4'', and ``Level 5'' have the meanings given those
terms in SAE International Standard J3016.
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Transportation, acting through the Administrator of the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
(6) Volpe 2016 report.--The term ``Volpe 2016 Report''
means the report of the John A. Volpe National Transportation
Systems Center of the Department of Transportation entitled
``Review of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) for
Automated Vehicles: Identifying Potential Barriers and
Challenges for the Certification of Automated Vehicles Using
Existing FMVSS'' and dated March 2016.
SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION OF VOLPE CENTER RECOMMENDATIONS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary shall address, in accordance with subsection
(b), all certification challenges identified by the Volpe Center 2016
Report relating to--
(1) the presumption of a human driver; and
(2) performance specifications, test procedures, or
equipment requirements that do not adequately account for
autonomous vehicle designs.
(b) Regulatory Updates.--The Secretary shall, as the Secretary
determines appropriate, develop, amend, interpret, exempt from
application, or otherwise update any FMVSS requirement or other
regulation, guidance, or interpretation under the jurisdiction of the
Secretary to ensure that the certification and approval process for
Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous vehicles is not unduly obstructed by
assumptions of traditional human-driver designs, including requirements
relating to seating arrangements, internal cabin configurations, window
placement, driver controls, and other features, as determined by the
Secretary.
(c) Discretionary Compliance Determination and Rulemaking
Authority.--At the discretion of the Secretary, and through such
rulemaking as the Secretary determines to be necessary, including by
establishing exemption processes for autonomous vehicles consistent
with section 30114(a) of title 49, United States Code, autonomous
vehicles may be determined to be in compliance with applicable
regulations relating to motor vehicle safety, including any FMVSS.
(d) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date described in
subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate
committees of Congress a report detailing steps taken by the Secretary
under subsection (b) to address the challenges identified by the Volpe
Center 2016 described in subsection (a), including any new or revised
rules or guidance issued by the Secretary.
SEC. 5. ROADMAP FOR FUTURE CONCEPTS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary shall develop a roadmap to achieve
commercial-scale deployment of Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous vehicles.
(b) Requirements.--The roadmap required under subsection (a)
shall--
(1) support the design, manufacturing, and deployment of
Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous vehicles in the United States;
(2) promote United States leadership in global autonomous
vehicle markets and supply chains;
(3) identify ways to lower practical, technological, and
regulatory barriers to Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous vehicle
deployment;
(4) recommend a risk hierarchy involving the use of
autonomous vehicles and a standard of safety for autonomous
vehicle use;
(5) incorporate a supplemental technology assessment, which
shall--
(A) identify and address--
(i) new technologies and industry
developments since publication of the Volpe
2016 Report;
(ii) emerging safety concerns specific to
autonomous vehicle operations; and
(iii) recommended updates to the findings
or recommendations of the Volpe 2016 Report;
and
(B) on completion, be used by the Secretary to
propose any amendments to any existing FMVSS that are
necessary to ensure clarity, consistency, and safety
for autonomous-vehicle designs; and
(6) include any additional initiatives or strategies the
Secretary determines necessary to achieve the objectives of
this Act.
(c) Supplemental Technology Assessment Interim Update.--Not later
than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary
shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a preliminary
update describing progress, challenges, and next steps taken by the
Secretary to carry out the supplemental technology assessment described
in subsection (b)(5).
(d) Roadmap Updates.--The roadmap required under subsection (a)
shall be updated periodically, as determined necessary by the
Secretary.
(e) Report.--The Secretary shall submit to the appropriate
committees of Congress, and make publicly available, the roadmap
required under subsection (a).
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