Expanding Exemptions to Enable More Public Trust Act

Summary: Expanding Exemptions to Enable More Public Trust Act or the EXEMPT Act This bill authorizes the Department of Transportation to exempt highly automated vehicles from certain motor vehicle safety standards if an exemption would facilitate the development or field evaluation of the safety features of such vehicles.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Expanding Exemptions to Enable More 
Public Trust Act'' or the ``EXEMPT Act''.

SEC. 2. GENERAL EXEMPTIONS.

    (a) Amendments.--Section 30113 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(3)(B)--
                    (A) in clause (iii), by striking ``; or'' and 
                inserting a semicolon;
                    (B) in clause (iv), by striking the period at the 
                end and inserting ``; or''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(v) the exemption would make easier the 
                        development or field evaluation of--
                                    ``(I) a feature of a highly 
                                automated vehicle providing a safety 
                                level at least equal to the safety 
                                level of the standard for which 
                                exemption is sought; or
                                    ``(II) a highly automated vehicle 
                                providing an overall safety level at 
                                least equal to the overall safety level 
                                of nonexempt vehicles.''; and
            (2) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the following:
            ``(5) if the application is made under subsection 
        (b)(3)(B)(v) of this section--
                    ``(A) such development, testing, and other data 
                necessary to demonstrate that the motor vehicle is a 
                highly automated vehicle; and
                    ``(B) a detailed analysis that includes supporting 
                test data, including both on-road and validation and 
                testing data showing (as applicable) that--
                            ``(i) the safety level of the feature at 
                        least equals the safety level of the standard 
                        for which exemption is sought; or
                            ``(ii) the vehicle provides an overall 
                        safety level at least equal to the overall 
                        safety level of nonexempt vehicles.''.
    (b) Definitions.--Section 30102 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (13) as 
                paragraphs (2), (3), (4), (5), (8), (9), (10), (11), 
                (12), (13), (15), (16), and (17), respectively;
                    (B) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as so 
                redesignated) the following:
            ``(1) `automated driving system' means the hardware and 
        software that are collectively capable of performing the entire 
        dynamic driving task on a sustained basis, regardless of 
        whether such system is limited to a specific operational design 
        domain.'';
                    (C) by inserting after paragraph (5) (as so 
                redesignated) the following:
            ``(6) `dynamic driving task' means all of the real time 
        operational and tactical functions required to operate a 
        vehicle in on-road traffic, excluding the strategic functions 
        such as trip scheduling and selection of destinations and 
        waypoints, and including--
                    ``(A) lateral vehicle motion control via steering;
                    ``(B) longitudinal vehicle motion control via 
                acceleration and deceleration;
                    ``(C) monitoring the driving environment via object 
                and event detection, recognition, classification, and 
                response preparation;
                    ``(D) object and event response execution;
                    ``(E) maneuver planning; and
                    ``(F) enhancing conspicuity via lighting, 
                signaling, and gesturing.
            ``(7) `highly automated vehicle'--
                    ``(A) means a motor vehicle equipped with an 
                automated driving system; and
                    ``(B) does not include a commercial motor vehicle 
                (as defined in section 31101).''; and
                    (D) by inserting after paragraph (13) (as so 
                redesignated) the following:
            ``(14) `operational design domain' means the specific 
        conditions under which a given driving automation system or 
        feature thereof is designed to function.''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Revisions to Certain Definitions.--
            ``(1) If SAE International (or its successor organization) 
        revises the definition of any of the terms defined in paragraph 
        (1), (6), or (14) of subsection (a) in Recommended Practice 
        Report J3016, it shall notify the Secretary of the revision. 
        The Secretary shall publish a notice in the Federal Register to 
        inform the public of the new definition unless, within 90 days 
        after receiving notice of the new definition and after opening 
        a period for public comment on the new definition, the 
        Secretary notifies SAE International (or its successor 
        organization) that the Secretary has determined that the new 
        definition does not meet the need for motor vehicle safety, or 
        is otherwise inconsistent with the purposes of this chapter. If 
        the Secretary so notifies SAE International (or its successor 
        organization), the existing definition in subsection (a) shall 
        remain in effect.
            ``(2) If the Secretary does not reject a definition revised 
        by SAE International (or its successor organization) as 
        described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall promptly make 
        any conforming amendments to the regulations and standards of 
        the Secretary that are necessary. The revised definition shall 
        apply for purposes of this chapter. The requirements of section 
        553 of title 5 shall not apply to the making of any such 
        conforming amendments.
            ``(3) Pursuant to section 553 of title 5, the Secretary may 
        update any of the definitions in paragraph (1), (6), or (14) of 
        subsection (a) if the Secretary determines that materially 
        changed circumstances regarding highly automated vehicles have 
        impacted motor vehicle safety such that the definitions need to 
        be updated to reflect such circumstances.''.