Lack of Action in Congress on Autonomous Technology Could Hinder States, Lawmaker Warns

The small role Congress currently plays in policy for autonomous vehicle technology could eventually slow, or impede, progress for states and firms testing such systems, a key House transportation authorizer warned on Sept. 5. “All the technology is ready. And every state is trying to implement their own plan, and then we are actually hindering the real success of innovation if we don’t have a national plan,” Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.) said during a hearing of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee to examine technology innovations in surface transportation. “It is, for me, a giant failure if we are going to be behind the eight ball.” She added a policy framework on the part of Congress must reflect stakeholders’ input, from builders to users “so that we can be efficient and be timely.”