CMT Hearing: Examining Ways to Strengthen Automotive Safety, Affordability, and Leadership
Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection
2026-01-13
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Source: Congress.gov
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Transcript
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Ms. Hilary Cain
All the stakeholders in the form of a strategic partnership. This is a serious problem, ladies and gentlemen. I want to thank Florida State Representative Meg Weinberger, a good friend of mine, for her assistance in highlighting the issue and working with me as we continue the process. I'm confident that working together we can advance legislation that prioritizes safety, accessibility, and an American automated leadership. Now, I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on how we can achieve that dream together. And I will tell you that I love this committee because it impacts people directly and positively impacts people directly. In any case, I'll yield back and I'll recognize the ranking member of the subcommittee for her five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Car safety is so incredibly important and yet we are seeing some 40,000 people who are dying on the road. I think that's a number that we've been having for a long time, and it's time that we do better. It's time that we are going to see that there is more safety in on the road and that we are doing better than we have been. I do support the idea of the right to repair so that people can have the right to fix their cars.
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Ms. Hilary Cain
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Ms. Hilary Cain
That is a sobering statistic and it underscores why Congress has an obligation to act and get this right. Advances in vehicle technology from driver assistance features to increasingly automated systems hold enormous promise to reduce human error, avoid crashes, and save lives. At the same time, premature deployment, unclear standards, or gaps in oversight can undermine safety and public trust.
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Ms. Hilary Cain
For some of my colleagues, AVs may seem like something we can worry about in the future, but in my district in San Francisco and along the San Francisco Peninsula, AVs are already here. My constituents are riding in them every day. I've been riding in them myself, and it's remarkable technology. It has the potential to make life safer and more convenient for everyone, including for seniors and those with disabilities who face mobility challenges. but it's also unchartered territory. We've seen the risks and outright hazards that they can cause, yet I'm excited to see them develop. It just needs to happen safely. As we consider these bills, I hope we focus on a few core principles. First, safety must remain paramount, particularly as vehicles become more complex and less intuitive for consumers to understand. Second, transparency matters. Drivers and passengers deserve to know what a vehicle can and cannot do, and regulators need access to accurate data to assess performance and risk.
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Ms. Hilary Cain
When done right, strong guardrails actually accelerate innovation by providing certainty to manufacturers, clarity to consumers, and confidence to regulators. Clear federal standards can help ensure that new technologies are tested rigorously, marketed honestly, and deployed responsibly across the country. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses and engaging in a robust discussion on these bills.
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Ms. Hilary Cain
And with that, I yield back. general lady yields is that correct yes okay all right uh we have the next is the the chairman of the full committee mr guthrie i recognize you for five minutes thank you thank you mr chairman good afternoon everybody thanks to all of our witnesses for being here appreciate you being here today and we're here to examine proposals to modernize the automotive marketplace and strengthen motor vehicle safety as well as the agency responsible for that mission the national highway traffic administration I wanna start by saying that we have to work together on this. These have to be bipartisan bills to move forward. And I enjoy working with my good friend from New Jersey, Mr. Pallone. I think we can work together on this.
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