Gottheimer Rallies 75% Of Votes Needed For AM Radio In House

One month after reconvening for fall, strong momentum remains in Congress for the AM For Every Vehicle Act. This week, the Act passed an important benchmark in the House of Representatives, with support for HR 3413 critically near 75% of the votes it needs to pass.

The House version, introduced by Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-5), has steadily gained co-sponsors over the past five months. This week saw Rep. Mike Ezell (R-MS-4), Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-6), and Rep. Chris Pappas (D-PA-6) raise their voices in support of mandating AM radio’s place in the auto dashboard. With 163 now in favor, that puts the Act in striking distance for a 218-vote simple majority in the House.

The Senate version, introduced by Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), holds steady at 34 total cosponsors – two-thirds of the 51 total votes needed to pass the Act. The bill is currently sitting on the floor after being placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders.

The legislative calendar still provides plenty of time for the AM For Every Vehicle Act to have its shot at passing before the end of the year. For the next week, Congress will adjourn for a state work period. From October 16 until Thanksgiving Week will be the most likely spot for a potential vote, with a more narrow window open from November 27 through December 15.

On the auto industry side, Ford and GM were among the top lobbying spenders in Q2, with reported activity in the radio/broadcast sector. With Q3 lobbying disclosures due on the 20th of October or before, broadcasters should have a clearer idea of what kind of pressure automakers are putting on lawmakers headed into the last three months of 2023.