Sponsors (4)
The bill reduces national-security risks from foreign-made LiDAR in transportation procurement while preserving narrow safety and national-interest waivers, but it raises costs, administrative burdens, and may slow deployment of advanced LiDAR technologies for state and local projects.
State and local governments and transportation contractors will reduce exposure to foreign-made LiDAR systems that may pose security or data-exfiltration risks by restricting certain vendors in transportation procurement.
Transportation researchers, vehicle-safety testers, and regulators retain targeted exceptions so safety testing, FMVSS/FMCSA waiver processes, and vehicle-safety R&D can continue despite procurement restrictions.
State and local governments and small businesses working on critical projects can seek a national-interest waiver allowing procurement or use of otherwise restricted LiDAR systems when the Secretary certifies urgent national interest to Congressional committees.
State and local agencies, and contractors may face higher procurement costs or supply constraints if commonly used LiDAR vendors are restricted under the bill, increasing project budgets and potentially reducing vendor choice.
New certification, pre-clearance, and waiver processes could delay contracts and add administrative burdens for agencies and small contractors, increasing program management costs and slowing project timelines.
Infrastructure and transportation projects (e.g., mapping, autonomous vehicle testing) may have reduced access to advanced LiDAR capabilities after the June 30, 2026 cutoff, slowing deployment of certain technologies and innovation in affected projects.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits DOT from procuring, using, contracting for, or funding certain LiDAR technologies tied to specified foreign companies or countries, with limited waivers and safety-testing exemptions.
Introduced March 5, 2026 by Theodore Paul Budd · Last progress March 5, 2026
Prohibits the Department of Transportation from buying, using, or contracting for certain LiDAR systems that come from specified companies or countries identified by an existing national-security definition, and requires contractors to certify they will not use those covered LiDAR products. The Secretary of Transportation can grant case-by-case waivers only after submitting a written national-interest certification to two congressional committees at least 15 days beforehand. The ban and related restrictions apply to procurement, loans, grants, obligations, expenditures, and contracts on or after June 30, 2026, while preserving specific exemptions for vehicle-safety testing, certain safety waiver applications, and limited research or evaluation activities.