SAFELY ENSURING LIVES FUTURE DEPLOYMENT AND RESEARCH IN VEHICLE EVOLUTION ACT

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Mr. Speaker, this has been a bipartisan effort. It has been good. We made some progress. I want to say a few things, though.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of the SELF DRIVE Act. This legislation puts us on a path towards safely deploying autonomous vehicles. I am glad to see that it has strong bipartisan support.

Autonomous vehicles offer many benefits, including tremendous lifesaving potential. Approximately 40,000 people are killed on our highways every year in deadly automobile accidents. About 3,600 of those accidents took place in my home State of California.

Avs can also transform mobility for millions of people who otherwise face difficulty driving, such as seniors and those with disabilities, including 3.8 million veterans in our country living with service- connected disabilities. That is more than 17 percent of veterans in this country.

Avs can help connect underserved communities, as well as reduce traffic congestion on our roads, and increase our Nation's productivity and competitiveness in the global economy.

While I am glad that we are taking these steps for this legislation today, our work cannot stop here. As the technology evolves, we must ensure that the benefits are being maximized for consumers. This means making sure that the vehicles are safely and appropriately tested, that strong consumer privacy and cybersecurity protections are in place, and that we are fully preparing Americans for the new employment opportunities that this industry will create.

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