May 26, 2021—Since the Biden administration's landmark announcement of its massive $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan back in late March, headlines have been filled with electric vehicle incentives, charging infrastructure investments, and semiconductor production.
But far less attention’s been paid to H.R. 2 (also known as the Moving Forward Act)—a piece of legislation that’s currently in the works and could also have a critical impact on the future of the auto industry.
To learn more about the bill and its potential future impact ADAPT checked in with Ann Wilson, the Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association’s (MEMA) senior vice president of government affairs.
What will H.R. 2 include?
Says Wilson, "H.R. 2, which is part of the transportation reauthorization bill that will be reintroduced this year in the House of Representatives, is still under development but will most likely be passed and signed into law by October 1.
"Transportation bills are supposed to address things like filling potholes and building bridges, but safety issues are also included, and that's a piece MEMA’s been working with the House and Senate on. We’re working on updates to the Monroney standards, or the five-star label that tells consumers about a vehicle’s crashworthiness and measures the effectiveness of safety features like seatbelts, air bags, and the stability and rigidity of a vehicle's overall structure.
"But that label doesn’t grade what we call pre-crash technology—which includes ADAS features like automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane keeping technology, blind spot detection, and back-up technology—the tech that can actually stop you prior to hitting something. We want to update that assessment program to give consumers information about that pre-crash technology so they’re getting a chance to make more informed decisions."
