Transcripts For CSPAN3 Key Capitol Hill Hearings 20151022 :

CSPAN3 Key Capitol Hill Hearings October 22, 2015

Then the Brooking Institution hosts the panel on Birth Control and family planning. Automotive industry executives and regulators and consumer advocates testified before a house subcommittee on improving vehicle and roadway safety. This hearing is two hours and 40 minutes. If everyone will take their seats, committee will come to order. Good morning. I want to welcome everyone to our hearing today on examining ways to improve vehicle and roadway safety. I will recognize myself for five minutes for the purpose of an Opening Statement. Certainly lives dependent on the safety of cars, safety of trucks, and on the roads themselves in the united states. And on the whole the data is good around the decrease in fatalities against miles driven. But the hearings over the last two years have certainly underlined the severity of problems that do exist, and theres no room for going slow when it comes to safety and certainly deception cannot and will not be tolerated. It is incumbent upon us, the national highway Traffic Safety administration, and others to assure absolutely compliance with Vehicle Safety standards and processes. Lives the depend on it. It is also our responsibility to revisit the adequate si of Safety Standards and processes that determine whether they provide sufficient protection to our nations motorists. This past year i think it has been clear to many of us on the committee and certainly clear to me that this is not always the case and that there is room for improvement. To that end, the discussion draft that we will examine today includes modifications to certain federal motor Vehicle Safety standards and their processes that will enhance Safety Practices amongst automakers at the National Traffic Highway Safety administration itself and provide more information to consumers about Vehicle Safety and foster the development of new Automotive Technologies that will save lives. Some of these modifications include updating how the national highway Traffic Safety administration makes Information Available to consumers. The discussion draft will before publicizing recall notices to consumers as well. These changes are intended to improve overall recall awareness by providing drivers were more complete information about a safety recall and giving them the means to take immediate action to get their vehicles fixed once the defect notice is received. The discussion draft also contains proposaled intended to improve how the national Traffic Safety administration collects and analyzes Vehicle Safety information. To increase accountability and improve Safety Practices amongst vehicle manufacturers, the discussion draft extends their remedy and their obligations under recalls and increases the time they must maintain safety records to facilitate the identification of potential defects and institutes safety incentives that encourage investment into next generations Safety Technologies. After a record year for recalls, the draft we will examine today also discusses roadway safety, Vehicle Safety, and is a continuation of this subcommittees efforts to restore confidence in american motorists that the cars that they drive are safe, that the recall process works, and that automakers and the national highway Traffic Safety administration are capable of keeping pace with the technology and the complexity of cars in the future. I certainly want to thank all of our witnesses for their testimonies. I look forward to an engaging and lively discussion on these issues as we seek to improve auto safety, save more lives, and ultimately benefit the driving public. With that, i will yield back the balance of my time and recognize the Ranking Member. Thank you, mr. Chairman, for holding todays hearing on a legislative effort to enhance auto safety and improve the recall process. I think it is a mistake to hold this hearing without a nongovernment Data Security witness. This draft legislation includes provisions related to privacy and Data Protection and it would benefit all of us to better understand the implication of those provisions. It has been plenty months since the initial gm recall and you think this committee would have acted sooner. As we see again today with the toyota recall of 6. 5 million vehicles, these safety issues arent going away. As a sponsor of legislation, im happy were finally having a legislative hearing. Unfr unfortunately, i believe were having it on the wrong bill. The Vehicle Safety improvement act, the bill i introduced with Ranking Member pallone and five other members of the subcommittee in march. Nhtsa needs to improve rear crashworthiness and every automaker as a executive responsible for certifying the accuracy and completeness relating to safety investigations. Im glad those provisions were included, but it would have been much better and more useful for the majority to engage in a bipartisan discussion during this bill. Had that dialogue taken place, many of the weaknesses in the bill could have been addressed prior to this hearing. It includes several provisions that would enhance safety and improve the efficacy of recalls, none of which are included in this draft legislation. The vsia would more than double nhtsas funding for Vehicle Safety programs. This bill provides no explicit additional funding for the agency. The vsia would increase the quality of information shared. While there is a nod to those priorities in this draft legislation, theres little meaningful change from the status quo. The bill would require manufacturers to fix all recalled vehicles free of charge rather than just those that were purchased within the past ten years. This discussion draft would not. Under vsia, nhtsa would have authority to expedite recalls. Neither of those changes are part of this discussion draft. Beyond those missteps, the republican draft legislation takes egregious steps in the wrong direction. The bill would give automakers a break from health based Carbon Emissions requirements. In the wake of volkswagens cheating, it makes no sense we would give carmakers a free pass to pollute beyond standards needed to maintain Public Health. This provision is a big win for the volkswagens of the world but does nothing to help the public. I urge my colleagues to engage in a bipartisan legislative process that will yield a stronger and more comprehensive bill. Im anxious to participate in that kind of dialogue. We still have an opportunity to do that. Unless there is someone else who would want some time, i yield back my time. Chair recognizes mr. Upton. Five minutes for an Opening Statement, please. Thank you, mr. Chairman. A car isnt just how you get around when youre from michigan. Its a neighbors job. Its the backbone of our states my. We take great pride in the industrys inventiveness, resilience, and creativity. Its helped the industry become a global leader. But over the past couple of years, weve seen the best of what the Auto Industry has to offer. Its no secret that im an optimist and believe that the future is bright for the Auto Industry for michigan and for the country, but unfortunately we have seen safety shortcomings and flat out dishonesty along the way. Were in the midst of an exciting time of automotive. What was once Science Fiction is now becoming reality. This innovation is to be applauded not only because it will revolutionize driving, but because of what it means for Vehicle Safety, the environment, and most importantly save lives. The staff discussion draft that were going to review today is a starting point to achieve those ends. It includes proposals intended to foster greater vehicle and roadway safety. Some pieces like having a corporate officer responsible for Safety Compliance certainly isnt new opposi. Other ideas may need to evolve. Theres good talk about forming a working group to address cybersecurity best practices. The draft seeks to address concerns around recall awareness and incentivizes automakers to invest in technologies that will indeed save more lives. This is a lifesaving endeavor. I look forward to a thoughtful and engaging dialogue on the merits of each proposal. While we have a ton of witnesses today, i want to invite everyone with an interest to give us feedback on how we can improve the legislation. Our work continues to improve safety for drivers and i yield my time to marsha blackburn. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I want to thank our witnesses for being here today. Chairman burgess, i want to thank you for this hearing. I think you have chosen a great day. It is october 21st, 2015. Remember the significance of that date and hear we are talking about interconnectedness of cars and using tablets, so perfect day to have this discussion. Chairman burgess, i thank you for the draft that you have brought forward. My constituents are truly interested in this issue whether they work with toyota or gm or nissan or in the after market auto parts industry with autozone. When you look at the stats that were going to have a quarter billion interconnected cars on the roadway by 2020, by 2020, and the significance of that, as automobiles have become more computerized, its important for us to look at these technological advances such as the vehicle to vehicle communication. Theres a lot of curiosity about that. We look forward to getting some answers as to how this is going to work, and i thank the gentleman from texas for initiating the conversation and yield back. Chair, thanks the gentlelady. The chairman recognizes mr. Pallone five minutes for an Opening Statement, please. The title of todays hearing refers to vehicle and roadway safety, but its clear from the draft before us that safety is not the focus. Instead of improving au auto safety, this draft weakens consumer and environmental protections. Traffic fatalities group in the u. S. By injuries are also up. Medically related Motor Vehicle injuries grew by 33 since 2014. Earlier this year we introduced the Vehicle Safety improvement act of 2015 with an eye towards comprehensive auto safety legislation. T it gets nhtsa the information, resources, and authorities needed to protect consumers and also empowers consumers with more information and ensures used cars are refixed before resold. This draft would give automakers credits towards Greenhouse Gas emissions. Even though theres no apparent link between these technologies and lower emissions. Manufacturers would get credits for things they are already doing, not as an incentive to improve safety. Nhtsa has already released its proposal to require vtov enabled cars. Many crash avoidance technologies are part of a prominent safety rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Automakers have considerable incentive to add those features to cars. Im alarmed that congress would consider giving automakers a way around environmental regulations. Auto companies would receive a pass on pollution because they install Communications Devices in their vehicles. Communication devices will not prevent Greenhouse Gases. Im also concerned about the privacy and cybersecurity provisions in this draft. As more hightech Vehicle Safety equipment is integrated into cars, strong Consumer Privacy and Data Protections are more important than ever. But instead of improving privacy and Data Protections, this giving automakers liability protection. Because my time is limited, i want to turn to process for a moment. Im disappointed by the unilateral approach taken by the majority in drafting this legislation. For months, we have been trying to work with our republican colleagues to draft auto safety legislation that would meaningfully reduce deaths. But instead of pursuing a bipartisan approach, the majority chose to prepare this legislation behind closed doors. Regardless, if the majority wants to open up the clean air act, then this bill must be the subject of a hearing. Mr. Chairman, this draft in my opinion fails to increase auto safety. It harms the environment. This is a weak bill that i cant support. Yet again i can only express my hope that in the near future we can Work Together to make Real Progress towards improving auto safety. I yield back. This concludes Opening Statements. The chair would like to remind members pursuant to Committee Rules all members Opening Statements will be made part of the record. Beg again, we want to thank our witnesses for being here today taking time to testify before the subcommittee. Todays hearing will consist of two panels. Each will have the opportunity to give an Opening Statement followed by a round of questions. Once we conclude with questions on the first panel, well take a brief recess to set up for the second panel. Our first Witness Panel for todays hearing is to include dr. Mark rosekind, the administrator of the national highway Traffic Safety administration and mrs. Maneesha mithal, the associate director of the division of privacy and Identity Protection at the federal trade commission. We appreciate both of you being here today and sharing your time with us. Well begin the panel with you, dr. Rosekind, and you are recognized for five minutes for an Opening Statement. Its a privilege to rep the men and women of the national highway traffic and safety administration. Our mission is focused on saving the 32,719 lives lost, prechting the 2. 1 million injuries, and reducing the 5. 4 million crashes that occurred on american roadways in 2013. In just the last ten months, the agency has done the following. Strengthened our oversight and enforcement on Vehicle Safety, issuing penalties for recall and safety reporting failures and making innovative orders to improve safety performance in the Auto Industry. Weve embraced secretary foxs call to accelerate technologies that can save lives. Accelerating proposed rule making on vehicle to vehicle technology. Were taking view of our regulatory structure. Announcing our intent to add automatic emergency braking to our auto system. And we have answered the call of this committee and the American Public to improve our own performance in identifying safety defects. To these efforts are underscore nhtsas commitment to safety. Whatever decisions this committee or the congress will make, nhtsa will seek to do all we can. With your help, we can do everyoeven more. In the grow america act, secretary fox proposed significant enhancements to nhtsas safety authorities, including imminent hazard authorities similarly held by other safety regulators, criminal penalties for vehicle hacking, and significantly enhance Civil Penalty Authority to provide meaningful deterrence against violations of the Vehicle Safety act. This would provide significant funding to enhance our office of defects investigation and to address emerging issues such as cybersecurity. These proposals are essential to enhance our safety mission. And as i told your Senate Colleagues in june, failure to address gaps in our available authority, personnel, and resources are a known risk to safety. Nhtsa has been only able to spend a few days on this legislative proposal that was released late last week. I would like to thank the Committee Members and staff with their engagement with nhtsa and hope productive conversations can continue. The discussion draft proposal includes a provision that would provide fuel economy to automakers for deploying advanced crash technologies. I would raise two general points here. First, there should not be a tradeoff between safety and Public Health. The American Public expects vehicles that address both safety concerns and Public Health and Environmental Concerns. Second, the automakers already have ample incentive to deploy Safety Technologies. The lives they can save and the injuries they can prevent. State agencies are one potential touch point for owners, especially second or third owners of used vehicles. The technology is not yet in place, which is why grow america proposed a Pilot Program to work through these issues. Under

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