diff --git a/lib/ansible/module_utils/aos.py b/lib/ansible/module_utils/aos.py
index 1e00c7bbeba..82439ff2e6c 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/module_utils/aos.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/module_utils/aos.py
@@ -32,12 +32,12 @@ This module adds shared support for Apstra AOS modules
 
 In order to use this module, include it as part of your module
 
-from ansible.module_utils.aos import *
+from ansible.module_utils.aos import (check_aos_version, get_aos_session, find_collection_item,
+                                      content_to_dict, do_load_resource)
 
 """
 import json
 
-from ansible.module_utils.pycompat24 import get_exception
 from distutils.version import LooseVersion
 
 try:
@@ -53,6 +53,8 @@ try:
 except ImportError:
     HAS_AOS_PYEZ = False
 
+from ansible.module_utils._text import to_native
+
 
 def check_aos_version(module, min=False):
     """
@@ -172,8 +174,7 @@ def do_load_resource(module, collection, name):
         try:
             item.datum = module.params['content']
             item.write()
-        except:
-            e = get_exception()
-            module.fail_json(msg="Unable to write item content : %r" % e)
+        except Exception as e:
+            module.fail_json(msg="Unable to write item content : %r" % to_native(e))
 
     module.exit_json(changed=True, name=item.name, id=item.id, value=item.value)
diff --git a/lib/ansible/module_utils/basic.py b/lib/ansible/module_utils/basic.py
index 354e2d959f6..0f0197ec735 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/module_utils/basic.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/module_utils/basic.py
@@ -825,10 +825,9 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
         # append to legal_inputs and then possibly check against them
         try:
             self.aliases = self._handle_aliases()
-        except Exception:
-            e = get_exception()
+        except Exception as e:
             # Use exceptions here because it isn't safe to call fail_json until no_log is processed
-            print('\n{"failed": true, "msg": "Module alias error: %s"}' % str(e))
+            print('\n{"failed": true, "msg": "Module alias error: %s"}' % to_native(e))
             sys.exit(1)
 
         # Save parameter values that should never be logged
@@ -1000,8 +999,7 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
             return context
         try:
             ret = selinux.lgetfilecon_raw(to_native(path, errors='surrogate_or_strict'))
-        except OSError:
-            e = get_exception()
+        except OSError as e:
             if e.errno == errno.ENOENT:
                 self.fail_json(path=path, msg='path %s does not exist' % path)
             else:
@@ -1097,11 +1095,10 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
             try:
                 if self.check_mode:
                     return True
-                rc = selinux.lsetfilecon(to_native(path),
-                                         str(':'.join(new_context)))
-            except OSError:
-                e = get_exception()
-                self.fail_json(path=path, msg='invalid selinux context: %s' % str(e), new_context=new_context, cur_context=cur_context, input_was=context)
+                rc = selinux.lsetfilecon(to_native(path), ':'.join(new_context))
+            except OSError as e:
+                self.fail_json(path=path, msg='invalid selinux context: %s' % to_native(e),
+                               new_context=new_context, cur_context=cur_context, input_was=context)
             if rc != 0:
                 self.fail_json(path=path, msg='set selinux context failed')
             changed = True
@@ -1192,12 +1189,11 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
             except Exception:
                 try:
                     mode = self._symbolic_mode_to_octal(path_stat, mode)
-                except Exception:
-                    e = get_exception()
+                except Exception as e:
                     path = to_text(b_path)
                     self.fail_json(path=path,
                                    msg="mode must be in octal or symbolic form",
-                                   details=str(e))
+                                   details=to_native(e))
 
                 if mode != stat.S_IMODE(mode):
                     # prevent mode from having extra info orbeing invalid long number
@@ -1235,18 +1231,17 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
                         new_underlying_stat = os.stat(b_path)
                         if underlying_stat.st_mode != new_underlying_stat.st_mode:
                             os.chmod(b_path, stat.S_IMODE(underlying_stat.st_mode))
-            except OSError:
-                e = get_exception()
+            except OSError as e:
                 if os.path.islink(b_path) and e.errno == errno.EPERM:  # Can't set mode on symbolic links
                     pass
                 elif e.errno in (errno.ENOENT, errno.ELOOP):  # Can't set mode on broken symbolic links
                     pass
                 else:
-                    raise e
-            except Exception:
-                e = get_exception()
+                    raise
+            except Exception as e:
                 path = to_text(b_path)
-                self.fail_json(path=path, msg='chmod failed', details=str(e))
+                self.fail_json(path=path, msg='chmod failed', details=to_native(e),
+                               exception=traceback.format_exc())
 
             path_stat = os.lstat(b_path)
             new_mode = stat.S_IMODE(path_stat.st_mode)
@@ -1285,10 +1280,10 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
                         rc, out, err = self.run_command(attrcmd)
                         if rc != 0 or err:
                             raise Exception("Error while setting attributes: %s" % (out + err))
-                    except:
-                        e = get_exception()
+                    except Exception as e:
                         path = to_text(b_path)
-                        self.fail_json(path=path, msg='chattr failed', details=str(e))
+                        self.fail_json(path=path, msg='chattr failed', details=to_native(e),
+                                       exception=traceback.format_exc())
         return changed
 
     def get_file_attributes(self, path):
@@ -1524,9 +1519,9 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
             os.environ['LANG'] = 'C'
             os.environ['LC_ALL'] = 'C'
             os.environ['LC_MESSAGES'] = 'C'
-        except Exception:
-            e = get_exception()
-            self.fail_json(msg="An unknown error was encountered while attempting to validate the locale: %s" % e)
+        except Exception as e:
+            self.fail_json(msg="An unknown error was encountered while attempting to validate the locale: %s" %
+                           to_native(e), exception=traceback.format_exc())
 
     def _handle_aliases(self, spec=None, param=None):
         # this uses exceptions as it happens before we can safely call fail_json
@@ -1791,8 +1786,7 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
                 return (result, None)
             else:
                 return result
-        except Exception:
-            e = get_exception()
+        except Exception as e:
             if include_exceptions:
                 return (value, e)
             return value
@@ -2006,9 +2000,9 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
 
             try:
                 param[k] = type_checker(value)
-            except (TypeError, ValueError):
-                e = get_exception()
-                self.fail_json(msg="argument %s is of type %s and we were unable to convert to %s: %s" % (k, type(value), wanted, e))
+            except (TypeError, ValueError) as e:
+                self.fail_json(msg="argument %s is of type %s and we were unable to convert to %s: %s" %
+                               (k, type(value), wanted, to_native(e)))
 
     def _set_defaults(self, pre=True, spec=None, param=None):
         if spec is None:
@@ -2356,9 +2350,8 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
 
             try:
                 self.preserved_copy(fn, backupdest)
-            except (shutil.Error, IOError):
-                e = get_exception()
-                self.fail_json(msg='Could not make backup of %s to %s: %s' % (fn, backupdest, e))
+            except (shutil.Error, IOError) as e:
+                self.fail_json(msg='Could not make backup of %s to %s: %s' % (fn, backupdest, to_native(e)))
 
         return backupdest
 
@@ -2366,9 +2359,8 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
         if os.path.exists(tmpfile):
             try:
                 os.unlink(tmpfile)
-            except OSError:
-                e = get_exception()
-                sys.stderr.write("could not cleanup %s: %s" % (tmpfile, e))
+            except OSError as e:
+                sys.stderr.write("could not cleanup %s: %s" % (tmpfile, to_native(e)))
 
     def preserved_copy(self, src, dest):
         """Copy a file with preserved ownership, permissions and context"""
@@ -2426,15 +2418,13 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
                 if hasattr(os, 'chflags') and hasattr(dest_stat, 'st_flags'):
                     try:
                         os.chflags(b_src, dest_stat.st_flags)
-                    except OSError:
-                        e = get_exception()
+                    except OSError as e:
                         for err in 'EOPNOTSUPP', 'ENOTSUP':
                             if hasattr(errno, err) and e.errno == getattr(errno, err):
                                 break
                         else:
                             raise
-            except OSError:
-                e = get_exception()
+            except OSError as e:
                 if e.errno != errno.EPERM:
                     raise
             if self.selinux_enabled():
@@ -2448,12 +2438,12 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
         try:
             # Optimistically try a rename, solves some corner cases and can avoid useless work, throws exception if not atomic.
             os.rename(b_src, b_dest)
-        except (IOError, OSError):
-            e = get_exception()
+        except (IOError, OSError) as e:
             if e.errno not in [errno.EPERM, errno.EXDEV, errno.EACCES, errno.ETXTBSY, errno.EBUSY]:
                 # only try workarounds for errno 18 (cross device), 1 (not permitted),  13 (permission denied)
                 # and 26 (text file busy) which happens on vagrant synced folders and other 'exotic' non posix file systems
-                self.fail_json(msg='Could not replace file: %s to %s: %s' % (src, dest, e), exception=traceback.format_exc())
+                self.fail_json(msg='Could not replace file: %s to %s: %s' % (src, dest, to_native(e)),
+                               exception=traceback.format_exc())
             else:
                 b_dest_dir = os.path.dirname(b_dest)
                 # Use bytes here.  In the shippable CI, this fails with
@@ -2466,9 +2456,8 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
                 tmp_dest_name = None
                 try:
                     tmp_dest_fd, tmp_dest_name = tempfile.mkstemp(prefix=native_prefix, dir=native_dest_dir, suffix=native_suffix)
-                except (OSError, IOError):
-                    e = get_exception()
-                    error_msg = 'The destination directory (%s) is not writable by the current user. Error was: %s' % (os.path.dirname(dest), e)
+                except (OSError, IOError) as e:
+                    error_msg = 'The destination directory (%s) is not writable by the current user. Error was: %s' % (os.path.dirname(dest), to_native(e))
                 except TypeError:
                     # We expect that this is happening because python3.4.x and
                     # below can't handle byte strings in mkstemp().  Traceback
@@ -2506,21 +2495,20 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
                                 tmp_stat = os.stat(b_tmp_dest_name)
                                 if dest_stat and (tmp_stat.st_uid != dest_stat.st_uid or tmp_stat.st_gid != dest_stat.st_gid):
                                     os.chown(b_tmp_dest_name, dest_stat.st_uid, dest_stat.st_gid)
-                            except OSError:
-                                e = get_exception()
+                            except OSError as e:
                                 if e.errno != errno.EPERM:
                                     raise
                             try:
                                 os.rename(b_tmp_dest_name, b_dest)
-                            except (shutil.Error, OSError, IOError):
-                                e = get_exception()
+                            except (shutil.Error, OSError, IOError) as e:
                                 if unsafe_writes and e.errno == errno.EBUSY:
                                     self._unsafe_writes(b_tmp_dest_name, b_dest)
                                 else:
-                                    self.fail_json(msg='Unable to rename file: %s to %s: %s' % (src, dest, e), exception=traceback.format_exc())
-                        except (shutil.Error, OSError, IOError):
-                            e = get_exception()
-                            self.fail_json(msg='Failed to replace file: %s to %s: %s' % (src, dest, e), exception=traceback.format_exc())
+                                    self.fail_json(msg='Unable to rename file: %s to %s: %s' % (src, dest, to_native(e)),
+                                                   exception=traceback.format_exc())
+                        except (shutil.Error, OSError, IOError) as e:
+                            self.fail_json(msg='Failed to replace file: %s to %s: %s' % (src, dest, to_native(e)),
+                                           exception=traceback.format_exc())
                     finally:
                         self.cleanup(b_tmp_dest_name)
 
@@ -2554,9 +2542,9 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
                     out_dest.close()
                 if in_src:
                     in_src.close()
-        except (shutil.Error, OSError, IOError):
-            e = get_exception()
-            self.fail_json(msg='Could not write data to file (%s) from (%s): %s' % (dest, src, e), exception=traceback.format_exc())
+        except (shutil.Error, OSError, IOError) as e:
+            self.fail_json(msg='Could not write data to file (%s) from (%s): %s' % (dest, src, to_native(e)),
+                           exception=traceback.format_exc())
 
     def _read_from_pipes(self, rpipes, rfds, file_descriptor):
         data = b('')
@@ -2742,9 +2730,9 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
             kwargs['cwd'] = cwd
             try:
                 os.chdir(cwd)
-            except (OSError, IOError):
-                e = get_exception()
-                self.fail_json(rc=e.errno, msg="Could not open %s, %s" % (cwd, str(e)))
+            except (OSError, IOError) as e:
+                self.fail_json(rc=e.errno, msg="Could not open %s, %s" % (cwd, to_native(e)),
+                               exception=traceback.format_exc())
 
         old_umask = None
         if umask:
@@ -2800,12 +2788,10 @@ class AnsibleModule(object):
             cmd.stderr.close()
 
             rc = cmd.returncode
-        except (OSError, IOError):
-            e = get_exception()
+        except (OSError, IOError) as e:
             self.log("Error Executing CMD:%s Exception:%s" % (clean_args, to_native(e)))
             self.fail_json(rc=e.errno, msg=to_native(e), cmd=clean_args)
-        except Exception:
-            e = get_exception()
+        except Exception as e:
             self.log("Error Executing CMD:%s Exception:%s" % (clean_args, to_native(traceback.format_exc())))
             self.fail_json(rc=257, msg=to_native(e), exception=traceback.format_exc(), cmd=clean_args)
 
diff --git a/lib/ansible/module_utils/ce.py b/lib/ansible/module_utils/ce.py
index e7c40dc1421..1f234997289 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/module_utils/ce.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/module_utils/ce.py
@@ -31,12 +31,13 @@
 import re
 import socket
 import sys
+import traceback
 
 from ansible.module_utils.basic import env_fallback
 from ansible.module_utils.network_common import to_list, ComplexList
 from ansible.module_utils.connection import exec_command
-from ansible.module_utils.pycompat24 import get_exception
 from ansible.module_utils.six import iteritems
+from ansible.module_utils._text import to_native
 
 
 try:
@@ -66,7 +67,6 @@ ce_argument_spec = {
 
 
 def check_args(module, warnings):
-    provider = module.params['provider'] or {}
     for key in ce_argument_spec:
         if key not in ['provider', 'transport'] and module.params[key]:
             warnings.append('argument %s has been deprecated and will be '
@@ -323,9 +323,9 @@ class Netconf(object):
                                       timeout=30)
         except AuthenticationError:
             self._module.fail_json(msg='Error: Authentication failed while connecting to device.')
-        except Exception:
-            err = get_exception()
-            self._module.fail_json(msg='Error: %s' % str(err).replace("\r\n", ""))
+        except Exception as err:
+            self._module.fail_json(msg='Error: %s' % to_native(err).replace("\r\n", ""),
+                                   exception=traceback.format_exc())
             raise
 
     def __del__(self):
@@ -339,9 +339,8 @@ class Netconf(object):
 
         try:
             con_obj = self.mc.edit_config(target='running', config=xml_str)
-        except RPCError:
-            err = get_exception()
-            self._module.fail_json(msg='Error: %s' % str(err).replace("\r\n", ""))
+        except RPCError as err:
+            self._module.fail_json(msg='Error: %s' % to_native(err).replace("\r\n", ""))
 
         return con_obj.xml
 
@@ -351,9 +350,8 @@ class Netconf(object):
         con_obj = None
         try:
             con_obj = self.mc.get(filter=xml_str)
-        except RPCError:
-            err = get_exception()
-            self._module.fail_json(msg='Error: %s' % str(err).replace("\r\n", ""))
+        except RPCError as err:
+            self._module.fail_json(msg='Error: %s' % to_native(err).replace("\r\n", ""))
 
         set_id = get_nc_set_id(con_obj.xml)
         if not set_id:
@@ -368,9 +366,8 @@ class Netconf(object):
             # get next data
             try:
                 con_obj_next = self.mc.dispatch(xsd_fetch)
-            except RPCError:
-                err = get_exception()
-                self._module.fail_json(msg='Error: %s' % str(err).replace("\r\n", ""))
+            except RPCError as err:
+                self._module.fail_json(msg='Error: %s' % to_native(err).replace("\r\n", ""))
 
             if "<data/>" in con_obj_next.xml:
                 break
@@ -388,9 +385,8 @@ class Netconf(object):
 
         try:
             con_obj = self.mc.action(action=xml_str)
-        except RPCError:
-            err = get_exception()
-            self._module.fail_json(msg='Error: %s' % str(err).replace("\r\n", ""))
+        except RPCError as err:
+            self._module.fail_json(msg='Error: %s' % to_native(err).replace("\r\n", ""))
         except TimeoutExpiredError:
             raise
 
@@ -403,9 +399,8 @@ class Netconf(object):
 
         try:
             con_obj = self.mc.cli(command=xml_str)
-        except RPCError:
-            err = get_exception()
-            self._module.fail_json(msg='Error: %s' % str(err).replace("\r\n", ""))
+        except RPCError as err:
+            self._module.fail_json(msg='Error: %s' % to_native(err).replace("\r\n", ""))
 
         return con_obj.xml
 
diff --git a/lib/ansible/module_utils/cloud.py b/lib/ansible/module_utils/cloud.py
index 52bb18e53ed..96024588c85 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/module_utils/cloud.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/module_utils/cloud.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ This module adds shared support for generic cloud modules
 In order to use this module, include it as part of a custom
 module as shown below.
 
-from ansible.module_utils.cloud import *
+from ansible.module_utils.cloud import CloudRetry
 
 The 'cloud' module provides the following common classes:
 
@@ -44,8 +44,6 @@ from functools import wraps
 import syslog
 import time
 
-from ansible.module_utils.pycompat24 import get_exception
-
 
 def _exponential_backoff(retries=10, delay=2, backoff=2, max_delay=60):
     """ Customizable exponential backoff strategy.
@@ -140,8 +138,7 @@ class CloudRetry(object):
                 for delay in backoff_strategy():
                     try:
                         return f(*args, **kwargs)
-                    except Exception:
-                        e = get_exception()
+                    except Exception as e:
                         if isinstance(e, cls.base_class):
                             response_code = cls.status_code_from_exception(e)
                             if cls.found(response_code):
diff --git a/lib/ansible/module_utils/connection.py b/lib/ansible/module_utils/connection.py
index 0be18381d44..676fcc42604 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/module_utils/connection.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/module_utils/connection.py
@@ -26,15 +26,14 @@
 # LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE
 # USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
 
-import signal
+import os
 import socket
 import struct
-import os
+import traceback
 import uuid
 
 from functools import partial
 
-from ansible.module_utils.basic import get_exception
 from ansible.module_utils._text import to_bytes, to_native, to_text
 
 
@@ -72,10 +71,9 @@ def exec_command(module, command):
         rc = int(recv_data(sf), 10)
         stdout = recv_data(sf)
         stderr = recv_data(sf)
-    except socket.error:
-        exc = get_exception()
+    except socket.error as e:
         sf.close()
-        module.fail_json(msg='unable to connect to socket', err=str(exc))
+        module.fail_json(msg='unable to connect to socket', err=to_native(e), exception=traceback.format_exc())
 
     sf.close()
 
@@ -128,9 +126,9 @@ class Connection:
             data = self._module.jsonify(req)
             rc, out, err = exec_command(self._module, data)
 
-        except socket.error:
-            exc = get_exception()
-            self._module.fail_json(msg='unable to connect to socket', err=str(exc))
+        except socket.error as e:
+            self._module.fail_json(msg='unable to connect to socket', err=to_native(e),
+                                   exception=traceback.format_exc())
 
         try:
             response = self._module.from_json(to_text(out, errors='surrogate_then_replace'))
diff --git a/lib/ansible/module_utils/exoscale.py b/lib/ansible/module_utils/exoscale.py
index b319396fcf4..0c88b046c57 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/module_utils/exoscale.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/module_utils/exoscale.py
@@ -29,11 +29,9 @@
 
 import os
 
-# import module snippets
-from ansible.module_utils.pycompat24 import get_exception
 from ansible.module_utils.six.moves import configparser
 from ansible.module_utils.six import integer_types, string_types
-from ansible.module_utils._text import to_text
+from ansible.module_utils._text import to_native, to_text
 from ansible.module_utils.urls import fetch_url
 
 EXO_DNS_BASEURL = "https://api.exoscale.ch/dns/v1"
@@ -66,9 +64,8 @@ class ExoDns(object):
                 config = self.read_config(ini_group=region)
                 self.api_key = config['key']
                 self.api_secret = config['secret']
-            except Exception:
-                e = get_exception()
-                self.module.fail_json(msg="Error while processing config: %s" % e)
+            except Exception as e:
+                self.module.fail_json(msg="Error while processing config: %s" % to_native(e))
 
         self.headers = {
             'X-DNS-Token': "%s:%s" % (self.api_key, self.api_secret),
@@ -133,9 +130,8 @@ class ExoDns(object):
         try:
             return self.module.from_json(to_text(response.read()))
 
-        except Exception:
-            e = get_exception()
-            self.module.fail_json(msg="Could not process response into json: %s" % e)
+        except Exception as e:
+            self.module.fail_json(msg="Could not process response into json: %s" % to_native(e))
 
     def has_changed(self, want_dict, current_dict, only_keys=None):
         changed = False
diff --git a/lib/ansible/module_utils/fortios.py b/lib/ansible/module_utils/fortios.py
index 4ad949bd027..65deef5be5a 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/module_utils/fortios.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/module_utils/fortios.py
@@ -28,15 +28,15 @@
 #
 import os
 import time
+import traceback
 
-from ansible.module_utils.basic import AnsibleModule
-from ansible.module_utils.pycompat24 import get_exception
+from ansible.module_utils._text import to_native
 
 
 # check for pyFG lib
 try:
     from pyFG import FortiOS, FortiConfig
-    from pyFG.exceptions import CommandExecutionException, FailedCommit
+    from pyFG.exceptions import FailedCommit
     HAS_PYFG = True
 except ImportError:
     HAS_PYFG = False
@@ -115,9 +115,9 @@ class AnsibleFortios(object):
 
             try:
                 self.forti_device.open()
-            except Exception:
-                e = get_exception()
-                self.module.fail_json(msg='Error connecting device. %s' % e)
+            except Exception as e:
+                self.module.fail_json(msg='Error connecting device. %s' % to_native(e),
+                                      exception=traceback.format_exc())
 
     def load_config(self, path):
         self.path = path
@@ -128,19 +128,19 @@ class AnsibleFortios(object):
                 f = open(self.module.params['config_file'], 'r')
                 running = f.read()
                 f.close()
-            except IOError:
-                e = get_exception()
-                self.module.fail_json(msg='Error reading configuration file. %s' % e)
+            except IOError as e:
+                self.module.fail_json(msg='Error reading configuration file. %s' % to_native(e),
+                                      exception=traceback.format_exc())
             self.forti_device.load_config(config_text=running, path=path)
 
         else:
             # get  config
             try:
                 self.forti_device.load_config(path=path)
-            except Exception:
+            except Exception as e:
                 self.forti_device.close()
-                e = get_exception()
-                self.module.fail_json(msg='Error reading running config. %s' % e)
+                self.module.fail_json(msg='Error reading running config. %s' % to_native(e),
+                                      exception=traceback.format_exc())
 
         # set configs in object
         self.result['running_config'] = self.forti_device.running_config.to_text()
@@ -163,16 +163,15 @@ class AnsibleFortios(object):
                     f = open(self.module.params['config_file'], 'w')
                     f.write(self.candidate_config.to_text())
                     f.close()
-                except IOError:
-                    e = get_exception()
-                    self.module.fail_json(msg='Error writing configuration file. %s' % e)
+                except IOError as e:
+                    self.module.fail_json(msg='Error writing configuration file. %s' %
+                                          to_native(e), exception=traceback.format_exc())
             else:
                 try:
                     self.forti_device.commit()
-                except FailedCommit:
+                except FailedCommit as e:
                     # Something's wrong (rollback is automatic)
                     self.forti_device.close()
-                    e = get_exception()
                     error_list = self.get_error_infos(e)
                     self.module.fail_json(msg_error_list=error_list, msg="Unable to commit change, check your args, the error was %s" % e.message)
 
diff --git a/lib/ansible/module_utils/ipa.py b/lib/ansible/module_utils/ipa.py
index 10473833a8f..ab5ffa9f787 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/module_utils/ipa.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/module_utils/ipa.py
@@ -32,8 +32,7 @@ try:
 except ImportError:
     import simplejson as json
 
-from ansible.module_utils._text import to_bytes, to_text
-from ansible.module_utils.pycompat24 import get_exception
+from ansible.module_utils._text import to_bytes, to_native, to_text
 from ansible.module_utils.six import PY3
 from ansible.module_utils.six.moves.urllib.parse import quote
 from ansible.module_utils.urls import fetch_url
@@ -69,9 +68,8 @@ class IPAClient(object):
                             'Content-Type': 'application/json',
                             'Accept': 'application/json',
                             'Cookie': resp.info().get('Set-Cookie')}
-        except Exception:
-            e = get_exception()
-            self._fail('login', str(e))
+        except Exception as e:
+            self._fail('login', to_native(e))
 
     def _fail(self, msg, e):
         if 'message' in e:
@@ -90,9 +88,8 @@ class IPAClient(object):
             status_code = info['status']
             if status_code not in [200, 201, 204]:
                 self._fail(method, info['msg'])
-        except Exception:
-            e = get_exception()
-            self._fail('post %s' % method, str(e))
+        except Exception as e:
+            self._fail('post %s' % method, to_native(e))
 
         if PY3:
             charset = resp.headers.get_content_charset('latin-1')
@@ -105,7 +102,7 @@ class IPAClient(object):
         resp = json.loads(to_text(resp.read(), encoding=charset), encoding=charset)
         err = resp.get('error')
         if err is not None:
-            self._fail('repsonse %s' % method, err)
+            self._fail('response %s' % method, err)
 
         if 'result' in resp:
             result = resp.get('result')
diff --git a/lib/ansible/module_utils/network.py b/lib/ansible/module_utils/network.py
index ab22beebcf5..108f215c769 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/module_utils/network.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/module_utils/network.py
@@ -24,13 +24,16 @@
 # INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT
 # LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE
 # USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
-#
+
+import traceback
+
 from ansible.module_utils.basic import AnsibleModule
-from ansible.module_utils.basic import env_fallback, get_exception
-from ansible.module_utils.netcli import Cli, Command
+from ansible.module_utils.basic import env_fallback
+from ansible.module_utils.netcli import Cli
 from ansible.module_utils._text import to_native
 from ansible.module_utils.six import iteritems
 
+
 NET_TRANSPORT_ARGS = dict(
     host=dict(required=True),
     port=dict(type='int'),
@@ -130,9 +133,8 @@ class NetworkModule(AnsibleModule):
             self.connection = cls()
         except KeyError:
             self.fail_json(msg='Unknown transport or no default transport specified')
-        except (TypeError, NetworkError):
-            exc = get_exception()
-            self.fail_json(msg=to_native(exc))
+        except (TypeError, NetworkError) as exc:
+            self.fail_json(msg=to_native(exc), exception=traceback.format_exc())
 
         if connect_on_load:
             self.connect()
@@ -176,18 +178,16 @@ class NetworkModule(AnsibleModule):
                     self.connection.authorize(self.params)
                 self.log('connected to %s:%s using %s' % (self.params['host'],
                          self.params['port'], self.params['transport']))
-        except NetworkError:
-            exc = get_exception()
-            self.fail_json(msg=to_native(exc))
+        except NetworkError as exc:
+            self.fail_json(msg=to_native(exc), exception=traceback.format_exc())
 
     def disconnect(self):
         try:
             if self.connected:
                 self.connection.disconnect()
             self.log('disconnected from %s' % self.params['host'])
-        except NetworkError:
-            exc = get_exception()
-            self.fail_json(msg=to_native(exc))
+        except NetworkError as exc:
+            self.fail_json(msg=to_native(exc), exception=traceback.format_exc())
 
 
 def register_transport(transport, default=False):
diff --git a/lib/ansible/module_utils/postgres.py b/lib/ansible/module_utils/postgres.py
index 457d160bd2d..afa8ad90667 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/module_utils/postgres.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/module_utils/postgres.py
@@ -34,9 +34,6 @@ try:
 except ImportError:
     HAS_PSYCOPG2 = False
 
-from ansible.module_utils.basic import get_exception
-from ansible.module_utils.six import iteritems
-
 
 class LibraryError(Exception):
     pass
diff --git a/lib/ansible/module_utils/shell.py b/lib/ansible/module_utils/shell.py
index bb8a14bc11e..1e429a6c180 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/module_utils/shell.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/module_utils/shell.py
@@ -19,9 +19,7 @@
 import os
 import re
 import socket
-import time
 import signal
-import json
 
 try:
     import paramiko
@@ -30,7 +28,6 @@ try:
 except ImportError:
     HAS_PARAMIKO = False
 
-from ansible.module_utils.basic import get_exception
 from ansible.module_utils.network import NetworkError
 from ansible.module_utils.six import BytesIO
 from ansible.module_utils._text import to_native
@@ -105,8 +102,7 @@ class Shell(object):
             raise ShellError('Unable to authenticate to remote device')
         except socket.timeout:
             raise ShellError("timeout trying to connect to remote device")
-        except socket.error:
-            exc = get_exception()
+        except socket.error as exc:
             if exc.errno == 60:
                 raise ShellError('timeout trying to connect to host')
             raise
@@ -147,8 +143,7 @@ class Shell(object):
                     if cmd:
                         resp = self.sanitize(cmd, resp)
                     return resp
-            except ShellError:
-                exc = get_exception()
+            except ShellError as exc:
                 exc.command = cmd['command']
                 raise
 
@@ -167,8 +162,7 @@ class Shell(object):
             signal.alarm(0)
 
             return (0, out, '')
-        except ShellError:
-            exc = get_exception()
+        except ShellError as exc:
             return (1, '', to_native(exc))
 
     def close(self):
@@ -236,8 +230,7 @@ class CliBase(object):
             self.shell.open(host, port=port, username=username,
                             password=password, key_filename=key_file)
 
-        except ShellError:
-            exc = get_exception()
+        except ShellError as exc:
             raise NetworkError(msg='failed to connect to %s:%s' % (host, port),
                                exc=to_native(exc))
 
@@ -277,8 +270,7 @@ class CliBase(object):
                     raise ShellError(err)
                 responses.append(out)
             return responses
-        except ShellError:
-            exc = get_exception()
+        except ShellError as exc:
             raise NetworkError(to_native(exc))
 
     def run_commands(self, x):
diff --git a/lib/ansible/module_utils/urls.py b/lib/ansible/module_utils/urls.py
index b9c21704e89..9f80e0c1d14 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/module_utils/urls.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/module_utils/urls.py
@@ -96,14 +96,15 @@ for users making use of a module. If possible, avoid third party libraries by us
 this code instead.
 '''
 
+import base64
 import netrc
 import os
+import platform
 import re
-import sys
 import socket
-import platform
+import sys
 import tempfile
-import base64
+import traceback
 
 try:
     import httplib
@@ -114,8 +115,7 @@ except ImportError:
 import ansible.module_utils.six.moves.http_cookiejar as cookiejar
 import ansible.module_utils.six.moves.urllib.request as urllib_request
 import ansible.module_utils.six.moves.urllib.error as urllib_error
-from ansible.module_utils.basic import get_distribution, get_exception
-from ansible.module_utils.six import b
+from ansible.module_utils.basic import get_distribution
 from ansible.module_utils._text import to_bytes, to_native, to_text
 
 try:
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ if not HAS_MATCH_HOSTNAME:
 # ca cert, regardless of validity, for Python on Mac OS to use the
 # keychain functionality in OpenSSL for validating SSL certificates.
 # See: http://mercurial.selenic.com/wiki/CACertificates#Mac_OS_X_10.6_and_higher
-b_DUMMY_CA_CERT = b("""-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
+b_DUMMY_CA_CERT = b"""-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
 MIICvDCCAiWgAwIBAgIJAO8E12S7/qEpMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBBQUAMEkxCzAJBgNV
 BAYTAlVTMRcwFQYDVQQIEw5Ob3J0aCBDYXJvbGluYTEPMA0GA1UEBxMGRHVyaGFt
 MRAwDgYDVQQKEwdBbnNpYmxlMB4XDTE0MDMxODIyMDAyMloXDTI0MDMxNTIyMDAy
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ MUB80IR6knq9K/tY+hvPsZer6eFMzO3JGkRFBh2kn6JdMDnhYGX7AXVHGflrwNQH
 qFy+aenWXsC0ZvrikFxbQnX8GVtDADtVznxOi7XzFw7JOxdsVrpXgSN0eh0aMzvV
 zKPZsZ2miVGclicJHzm5q080b1p/sZtuKIEZk6vZqEg=
 -----END CERTIFICATE-----
-""")
+"""
 
 #
 # Exceptions
@@ -657,11 +657,11 @@ class SSLValidationHandler(urllib_request.BaseHandler):
                             cert = cert_file.read()
                             cert_file.close()
                             os.write(tmp_fd, cert)
-                            os.write(tmp_fd, b('\n'))
+                            os.write(tmp_fd, b'\n')
                             if full_path not in LOADED_VERIFY_LOCATIONS:
                                 to_add = True
                                 os.write(to_add_fd, cert)
-                                os.write(to_add_fd, b('\n'))
+                                os.write(to_add_fd, b'\n')
                                 LOADED_VERIFY_LOCATIONS.add(full_path)
                         except (OSError, IOError):
                             pass
@@ -729,10 +729,10 @@ class SSLValidationHandler(urllib_request.BaseHandler):
                     s.sendall(self.CONNECT_COMMAND % (self.hostname, self.port))
                     if proxy_parts.get('username'):
                         credentials = "%s:%s" % (proxy_parts.get('username', ''), proxy_parts.get('password', ''))
-                        s.sendall(b('Proxy-Authorization: Basic %s\r\n') % base64.b64encode(to_bytes(credentials, errors='surrogate_or_strict')).strip())
-                    s.sendall(b('\r\n'))
-                    connect_result = b("")
-                    while connect_result.find(b("\r\n\r\n")) <= 0:
+                        s.sendall(b'Proxy-Authorization: Basic %s\r\n' % base64.b64encode(to_bytes(credentials, errors='surrogate_or_strict')).strip())
+                    s.sendall(b'\r\n')
+                    connect_result = b""
+                    while connect_result.find(b"\r\n\r\n") <= 0:
                         connect_result += s.recv(4096)
                         # 128 kilobytes of headers should be enough for everyone.
                         if len(connect_result) > 131072:
@@ -759,11 +759,9 @@ class SSLValidationHandler(urllib_request.BaseHandler):
             # close the ssl connection
             # ssl_s.unwrap()
             s.close()
-        except (ssl.SSLError, CertificateError):
-            e = get_exception()
+        except (ssl.SSLError, CertificateError) as e:
             build_ssl_validation_error(self.hostname, self.port, paths_checked, e)
-        except socket.error:
-            e = get_exception()
+        except socket.error as e:
             raise ConnectionError('Failed to connect to %s at port %s: %s' % (self.hostname, self.port, to_native(e)))
 
         try:
@@ -962,7 +960,7 @@ def basic_auth_header(username, password):
     """Takes a username and password and returns a byte string suitable for
     using as value of an Authorization header to do basic auth.
     """
-    return b("Basic %s") % base64.b64encode(to_bytes("%s:%s" % (username, password), errors='surrogate_or_strict'))
+    return b"Basic %s" % base64.b64encode(to_bytes("%s:%s" % (username, password), errors='surrogate_or_strict'))
 
 
 def url_argument_spec():
@@ -1052,41 +1050,35 @@ def fetch_url(module, url, data=None, headers=None, method=None,
         info['cookies'] = cookie_dict
         # finally update the result with a message about the fetch
         info.update(dict(msg="OK (%s bytes)" % r.headers.get('Content-Length', 'unknown'), url=r.geturl(), status=r.code))
-    except NoSSLError:
-        e = get_exception()
+    except NoSSLError as e:
         distribution = get_distribution()
         if distribution is not None and distribution.lower() == 'redhat':
-            module.fail_json(msg='%s. You can also install python-ssl from EPEL' % str(e))
+            module.fail_json(msg='%s. You can also install python-ssl from EPEL' % to_native(e))
         else:
-            module.fail_json(msg='%s' % str(e))
-    except (ConnectionError, ValueError):
-        e = get_exception()
-        module.fail_json(msg=str(e))
-    except urllib_error.HTTPError:
-        e = get_exception()
+            module.fail_json(msg='%s' % to_native(e))
+    except (ConnectionError, ValueError) as e:
+        module.fail_json(msg=to_native(e))
+    except urllib_error.HTTPError as e:
         try:
             body = e.read()
         except AttributeError:
             body = ''
 
         # Try to add exception info to the output but don't fail if we can't
-        exc_info = e.info()
         try:
             info.update(dict(**e.info()))
         except:
             pass
 
-        info.update({'msg': str(e), 'body': body, 'status': e.code})
+        info.update({'msg': to_native(e), 'body': body, 'status': e.code})
 
-    except urllib_error.URLError:
-        e = get_exception()
+    except urllib_error.URLError as e:
         code = int(getattr(e, 'code', -1))
-        info.update(dict(msg="Request failed: %s" % str(e), status=code))
-    except socket.error:
-        e = get_exception()
-        info.update(dict(msg="Connection failure: %s" % str(e), status=-1))
-    except Exception:
-        e = get_exception()
-        info.update(dict(msg="An unknown error occurred: %s" % str(e), status=-1))
+        info.update(dict(msg="Request failed: %s" % to_native(e), status=code))
+    except socket.error as e:
+        info.update(dict(msg="Connection failure: %s" % to_native(e), status=-1))
+    except Exception as e:
+        info.update(dict(msg="An unknown error occurred: %s" % to_native(e), status=-1),
+                    exception=traceback.format_exc())
 
     return r, info
diff --git a/test/sanity/code-smell/boilerplate.sh b/test/sanity/code-smell/boilerplate.sh
index f81f68992c1..5e7a44a68fd 100755
--- a/test/sanity/code-smell/boilerplate.sh
+++ b/test/sanity/code-smell/boilerplate.sh
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 metaclass1=$(find ./bin -type f -exec grep -HL '__metaclass__ = type' '{}' '+')
 future1=$(find ./bin -type f -exec grep -HL 'from __future__ import (absolute_import, division, print_function)' '{}' '+')
 
-# We eventually want to remove the module_utils and modules pruning from metaclass2 and future2
+# We eventually want to remove the module_utils pruning from metaclass2 and future2
 metaclass2=$(find ./lib/ansible -path ./lib/ansible/modules -prune \
         -o -path ./lib/ansible/module_utils -prune \
         -o -path ./lib/ansible/module_utils/six/_six.py -prune \
diff --git a/test/sanity/code-smell/no-get-exception.sh b/test/sanity/code-smell/no-get-exception.sh
index 6283dea3cfb..32510e005c2 100755
--- a/test/sanity/code-smell/no-get-exception.sh
+++ b/test/sanity/code-smell/no-get-exception.sh
@@ -3,9 +3,10 @@
 # We're getting rid of get_exception in our code so that we can deprecate it.
 # get_exception is no longer needed as we no longer support python-2.4 on the controller.
 
-# We eventually want this list to be empty
+# We eventually want pycompat24 and basic.py to be the only things on this list
 get_exception=$(find . -path ./test/runner/.tox -prune \
-        -o -path ./lib/ansible/module_utils -prune \
+        -o -path ./lib/ansible/module_utils/pycompat24.py -prune \
+        -o -path ./lib/ansible/module_utils/basic.py -prune \
         -o -path ./lib/ansible/modules/storage/netapp -prune \
         -o -path ./lib/ansible/modules/packaging/os -prune \
         -o -path ./lib/ansible/modules/monitoring -prune \
@@ -24,13 +25,21 @@ get_exception=$(find . -path ./test/runner/.tox -prune \
         -o -path ./lib/ansible/plugins/action/wait_for_connection.py -prune \
         -o -name '*.py' -type f -exec grep -H 'get_exception' '{}' '+')
 
+basic_failed=0
 
+if test "$(grep -c get_exception ./lib/ansible/module_utils/basic.py)" -gt 1 ; then
+  printf "\n== basic.py contains get_exception calls ==\n\n"
+  printf "  basic.py is allowed to import get_exception for backwards compat but\n"
+  printf "  should not call it anywhere\n"
+  basic_failed=1
+fi
+
+failures=0
 if test -n "$get_exception" ; then
   printf "\n== Contains get_exception() calls ==\n"
-  printf "%s" "$get_exception"
+  printf "  %s\n" "$get_exception"
   failures=$(printf "%s" "$get_exception"| wc -l)
   failures=$((failures + 2))
-  exit "$failures"
 fi
 
-exit 0
+exit $((basic_failed + failures))
diff --git a/test/sanity/code-smell/no-wildcard-import.sh b/test/sanity/code-smell/no-wildcard-import.sh
index fc5d8daac25..0602c9009ad 100755
--- a/test/sanity/code-smell/no-wildcard-import.sh
+++ b/test/sanity/code-smell/no-wildcard-import.sh
@@ -17,9 +17,6 @@ wildcard_imports=$(find . -path ./test/runner/.tox -prune \
         -o -path ./test/units/plugins/action/test_action.py \
         -o -path ./lib/ansible/compat/tests/mock.py -prune \
         -o -path ./lib/ansible/compat/tests/unittest.py \
-        -o -path ./lib/ansible/module_utils/api.py -prune \
-        -o -path ./lib/ansible/module_utils/cloud.py -prune \
-        -o -path ./lib/ansible/module_utils/aos.py -prune \
         -o -path ./test/units/modules/network/cumulus/test_nclu.py -prune \
         -o -path ./lib/ansible/modules/cloud/amazon -prune \
         -o -path ./lib/ansible/modules/cloud/openstack -prune \