Last month Rep Johnson (D,TX) introduced HR 7214, the
Surface Transportation Research and Development Act of 2020. The bill would
authorize FY 2021 appropriations to the DOT for surface transportation
research, development, and deployment. There are two cybersecurity related
provisions in the bill.
Highway Safety Improvement Project
Section 102 of the bill would amend 23
USC 148(a)(4)(B) by adding four new categories of to the list of projects
that would qualify as Highway Safety Improvement Projects. The last of these
new categories is the undefined ‘cybersecurity’.
Autonomous Trucking
Section 207 of the bill would add a new §5507 to 49 USC
Chapter 55. It would require DOT to establish the Heavy Freight Autonomous
Trucking Research Initiative. In addition to establishing an R&D agenda
that would include “analyzing, modeling, and piloting the feasibility and
benefits of dedicated autonomous trucking corridors” {new §5507(c)(1)} the
initiative would provide deployment guidance. Of the three specific topics to be
addressed in the guidance, one would be “cyber-physical security” {new §5507(c)(2)}.
The bill would authorize $6 million per year through 2025
for the initiative.
Moving Forward
Johnson is the Chair of the House Science, Space, and
Technology Committee, one of the two committees to which this bill was assigned
for consideration. She is also a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee the other committee. This means that it is highly likely that the
SS&T Committee will take up the bill and probable that the T&I Committee
will as well.
This is not a must pass authorization bill, but one that
will likely make its way to the full House. I suspect that the bill will pass
with some bipartisan support. I am not sure that the bill has enough weight to
make it to the President’s desk in this COVID-19 impacted election year.
Note: Corrected bill number prefix in the title to HR 7214, it was correct in text 8:20 EDT 7-16-20
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