The outlook for the 118th Congress is shaping up as results from the November midterm elections continue to be finalized. The U.S. House of Representatives will flip to have a small Republican majority, projected to be 221 Republicans to 214 Democrats. In the U.S. Senate, Democrats will keep their majority with at least 50 seats to the Republicans 49. The final ratio will depend on the outcome of the December 6 Georgia runoff election between Democrat incumbent Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker.
The new Republican majority in the U.S. House means a change in leadership and committee assignments. Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will be the Speaker of the House, Representative Steve Scalise (R-La.) will be Majority Leader, and Representative Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) will be the Republican Majority Whip. Republicans will Chair House committees with Democrats as committee Ranking Members.
In the U.S. Senate, Democrats will continue to Chair committees with Republicans as Ranking Members. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) will chair the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which has jurisdiction over light and heavy-duty transportation issues in the U.S. Senate. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) will be the Ranking Member of this committee. The runoff election in Georgia will determine whether Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) will keep his position on the committee.
In the U.S. House of Representatives, there are big changes coming to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Representative Cathy McMorris-Rogers (R-Wash.) will lead the committee as the Chair, while Representative Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) will be the Ranking Member. Among former committee members from the 117th Congress, there are a total of twelve that will not be returning in the 118th Congress (seven retired, three lost their elections, one elected to U.S. Senate).
The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce has jurisdiction over light-duty vehicle transportation issues. The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has jurisdiction over heavy-duty vehicles. Representative Sam Graves (R-Mo.) will Chair this committee and the race for Ranking Member will be between Representative Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) and Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.). Other committees of interest for transportation issues are the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, i.e. intellectual property issues.
One of the potential issues that will be addressed in the 118th Congress is the regulation of autonomous vehicle technology. In August of 2022, Representatives Bob Latta (R-Ohio) and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) formed the Congressional Autonomous Vehicle Caucus. The purpose of this caucus is to educate Members and staff on autonomous vehicle technology that can improve the safety and accessibility of roadways. Representatives Latta and Dingell serve together on the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Representative Latta introduced the SELF DRIVE Act in 2017, 2020, and 2021 to create a federal regulatory framework to spur the development of autonomous vehicles in the U.S. In 2017, the U.S. House passed this legislation on the floor by voice vote. The U.S. Senate did not vote in this legislation. This current legislation for the 117th Congress has not progressed past the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. It is possible that similar legislation could be considered in the 118th Congress.
Another important caucus is the U.S. House Vehicle Data Access Caucus, which was established by U.S. Representative Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) in September 2022. This bipartisan caucus is working to address the issue of vehicle data access, which is an important issue for independent repairers that rely on accessing vehicle data to repair their consumers’ vehicles safely and effectively. The Automotive Service Association (ASA) is asking shops to send a letter to their Representatives encouraging them to join the House Vehicle Data Access Caucus using this link or on the Taking the Hill page of ASAshop.org.
The tight margins of the 118th Congress will mean that bipartisan cooperation will be essential for passing any legislation. Stay updated with important legislation and regulations that effect the transportation industry by following ASA’s Taking the Hill page here.
