Sponsor
Cynthia M. Lummis
Senator · R-WY
Senator · R-WY
The bill speeds and clarifies federal support for Level 4–5 autonomous vehicles—potentially improving safety, mobility, and U.S. industry competitiveness—but does so in ways that could shift costs to taxpayers, favor larger firms, concentrate regulatory power, and create safety risks if oversight and local readiness lag behind deployment.
Drivers, commuters, and the general public could see fewer crashes and fatalities if Level 4–5 automated driving systems perform better than humans and the bill's recommended safety standards are implemented.
Manufacturers, developers, and regulators get clearer rules, definitions, and a defined DOT/NHTSA pathway (including reporting to Congress), reducing regulatory uncertainty and speeding certification and oversight of autonomous vehicles.
U.S. tech firms, vehicle manufacturers, and related supply chains could gain jobs, investment, and global market advantage as federal guidance promotes U.S. leadership in Level 4/5 autonomous vehicle markets.
Drivers, pedestrians, and communities could face increased safety risks if faster deployment, FMVSS exemptions, or reliance on industry standards outpace robust oversight, local readiness, or expose gaps in protections.
Taxpayers and state/local budgets could incur costs from updating federal safety standards, implementing roadmap recommendations, and increased agency workloads without specified offsets.
Consumers and the public could lose transparency or consumer protections if the emphasis on industry competitiveness and use of industry standards shifts regulatory priorities toward manufacturers.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Directs DOT to update FMVSS/regulations and publish a roadmap to enable commercial deployment of Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous vehicles with set reporting deadlines.
Official title: Prescribe standards for autonomous vehicles, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 15, 2025 by Cynthia M. Lummis · Last progress May 15, 2025
Requires the Secretary of Transportation to update federal motor vehicle safety rules and related guidance to remove certification barriers that assume a human driver, and to publish a roadmap for commercial deployment of Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous (driverless) vehicles. The bill sets deadlines: the Secretary must address certification challenges and provide interim and final reports within 180 days and 1 year, and must publish a roadmap (with interim assessment) within 1 year and update it as needed.