Senate committee will examine risks of self-driving cars, other new technology

Committee members will discuss benefits and risks of advanced driver assistance systems such as adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping systems, partially and fully self-driving vehicles, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, as well as communications and entertainment devices for drivers. 

{mosads}Lawmakers will decide if federal laws are needed to regulate or restrict such advances. Some states are questioning whether to allow self-driving cars.

On Tuesday morning, the Senate Agriculture Committee will begin marking-up a new farm bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said he’d like to move the farm bill to the Senate floor this month.

Last year, the Senate passed a bipartisan farm bill that reduced spending by $23 billion over 10 years. But the House failed to take up their farm bill, which cut $35 billion mostly from the food stamps program.

On Friday, the House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) unveiled a new farm bill that would reduce spending by $39.7 billion over the next decade

Details on these and other committee hearings follow:

Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry

– May 14, “Markup: Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013”

10 a.m., 328A Russell Senate Office Building

Senate Armed Services

– May 14, “Oversight: Situation in Syria”

2:30 p.m., 217 Senate Visitors Center

– May 16, “Oversight: The Law of Armed Conflict, the Use of Military Force, and the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force”

9:30 a.m., 106 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Budget

– May 16, “Silo Busting: Effective Strategies for Government Reorganization”

10 a.m., 608 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation

Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet

– May 14, “State of Video”

10:30 a.m., 253 Russell Senate Office Building

– May 15, “The Road Ahead: Advanced Vehicle Technology and its Implications”

2:30 p.m., 253 Russell Senate Office Building

Senate Energy and Natural Resources

– May 14 “Infrastructure, Transportation, Research and Innovation

10 a.m., 216 Hart Senate Office Building

Senate Environment and Public Works

– May 15, “The President’s Proposed Budget request for FY 2014 for the Environmental Protection Agency”

10 a.m., 406 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Finance

– May 14, “Advancing Reform: Medicare Physicians Payments”

10 a.m., 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Foreign Relations

– May 14, “Business Meeting on S. 793 and S. 579”

2:15 p.m., 116 Capitol Building

– May 15, “U.S. Policy Toward Iran”

9:30 a.m., 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

– May 14, “The ADA and Entertainment Technologies: Improving Accessibility from the Movie Screen to Your Mobile Device”

2:30 p.m., 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building

– May 16, “Nomination of Thomas Perez to be Secretary of Labor”

9:15 a.m., 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building

– May 16, “Pending Nominations to the National Labor Relations Board”

10 a.m., 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

– May 15, “Performance Management and Congressional Oversight: 380 Recommendations to Reduce Overlap and Duplication to Make Washington More Efficient”

9:30 a.m., 342 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Indian Affairs

– May 15, “To Receive the Views and Priorities of Interior Secretary Jewell with Regard to Matters of Indian Affairs”

2:30 p.m., Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Veterans Affairs

– May 15, “Pending Benefits Legislation”

10 a.m., 418 Russell Senate Office Building