Krishnamoorthi Introduces SAFE LiDAR Act to Phase-Out Chinese-Made LiDAR from the United States

WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, today introduced the Stopping Adversaries From Exploiting LiDAR (SAFE LiDAR) Act, legislation to phase-out the use of Chinese-made LiDAR in the United States and prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from exploiting a fast-growing, strategically critical technology. LiDAR sensors are now embedded across the U.S. economy—from autonomous vehicles to robotics, advanced manufacturing, defense technologies, and the inspection of critical infrastructure. The CCP has sought to dominate global LiDAR production, creating national-security risks including potential data exfiltration, sabotage, and the compromise of everything from critical infrastructure to the cars we drive.

“LiDAR is a foundational technology for autonomous vehicles, robotics, smart-city systems, and critical infrastructure, and we cannot allow the Chinese Communist Party to turn it into a strategic vulnerability,” said Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi. “As these sensors collect sensitive environmental and operational data, embedding CCP-linked LiDAR in our networks would hand an authoritarian adversary a silent gateway into America’s infrastructure and Americans’ daily lives. The SAFE LiDAR Act takes a proactive, commonsense step to secure our supply chains, protect advanced technologies from compromise, enhance Americans’ security, and ensure these systems are built by trusted partners. America and our allies should lead in LiDAR innovation—not cede control of this critical technology to foreign adversaries who will use their control to endanger Americans.”

The SAFE LiDAR Act: Key Provisions

The bill would:

• Phase-out the use of Chinese-made LiDAR across the United States. After three years, subject to appropriate waivers and necessary extensions, companies would be prohibited from new transactions resulting in the use of LiDAR technology produced by firms tied to foreign adversaries, including the People’s Republic of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. 

• Impose immediate restrictions for critical-infrastructure and federal use of new adversary-linked LiDAR systems, with a five-year transition period for legacy equipment.

• Prevent companies from circumventing the restrictions on foreign adversary LiDAR through limitations on partnerships and licensing agreements with producers of such technology. 

• Establish thoughtful exemptions and national-interest waivers in appropriate circumstances.

• Create enforcement tools, including civil penalties, injunctive relief, reporting requirements, and a Commerce-led national-security task force charged with monitoring and mitigating risks.

• Permit research, academic work, testing, export-only manufacturing, and certain legacy uses to ensure U.S. innovation is not hindered.

For multiple years, Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi has been a leader in highlighting the threat of PRC LiDAR systems. Examples of the Ranking Member’s past work on this issue can be seen hereand here.

Text of the legislation is available here.