Just over one month after the AM For Every Vehicle Act garnered the necessary number of co-sponsors to gain a simple majority in the US House of Representatives, AM radio has gained a supermajority of support in the US Senate to match, spurred on by visits from state broadcast associations.
On Thursday morning, the names of twelve Senators were officially added to the record as co-sponsors of S.1669, introduced by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) this past May. Both Senators had teased the Supermajority earlier this week, ahead of a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing on the preservation of AM.
This brings the total number of Senators in favor to sixty, which is the “magic number” to override a potential filibuster.
New co-sponsors include Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), John Kennedy (R-LA), Angus King (I-ME), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
“Broadcasters are grateful for the overwhelming bipartisan support for the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act in both chambers of Congress,” said NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt. “This majority endorsement reaffirms lawmakers’ recognition of the essential service AM radio provides to the American people, particularly in emergency situations. NAB thanks the 307 members of Congress who are reinforcing the importance of maintaining universal access to this crucial public communications medium.”
While numerical victory is now all but assured, the bill remains on the floor of the Senate, where it has sat since July.
Senators Markey and Cruz said, “Democrats and Republicans are tuning in to the millions of listeners, thousands of broadcasters, and countless emergency management officials who depend on AM radio in their vehicles. AM radio is a lifeline for people in every corner of the United States to get news, sports, and local updates in times of emergencies. Our commonsense bill makes sure this fundamental, essential tool doesn’t get lost on the dial. With a filibuster-proof supermajority in the Senate, Congress should quickly take it up and pass it.”
Sen. Collins commented, “AM Radio delivers highway safety information to drivers and critical storm and weather updates to farmers in Maine and across the country. This bipartisan bill would ensure the accessibility of AM service in every vehicle, safeguarding essential communication tools that are critical to our rural communities.”
Sen. King added, “Many Maine people, and especially our farmers, rely on AM radio for weather and business news they need, along with emergency updates that are essential for their safety. The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act would ensure that auto manufacturers include AM broadcast radio in their new vehicles at no additional charge. I am proud to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure that our rural communities, in Maine and across America, have the tools to succeed.”
This legislation mandates the Department of Transportation establish a regulation ensuring all new motor vehicles made or sold in the US are equipped with devices capable of receiving AM radio broadcasts as a standard feature. AM radio, commonly utilized for transmitting emergency alerts as well as news and entertainment, has been omitted from some recent vehicle models, particularly electric vehicles.
The House version of the bicameral bill, led by New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer, now has 250 total sponsors, including four non-voting members of Congress. The sudden boost is in no small part thanks to broadcasters’ recent visit to Capitol Hill by numerous state broadcast associations stumping for AM radio, as well as the Local Radio Freedom Act and protecting journalistic integrity from generative AI.
There was an effort to get the AM For Every Vehicle Act passed by unanimous consent in December before the holiday recess. That measure was blocked by Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who seeks the end of electric vehicle subsidies under the American Vehicle Tax Credit in place of mandating AM radio.
The AM Act must be scheduled for a vote by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
