During a recent speech to the National Religious Broadcasters President’s Council at the 2023 Capitol Hill Media Summit, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) discussed the prospective paths for the passage of the AM For Every Vehicle Act. The bill, which has already moved out of committee, has three potential avenues for approval in the Senate.
The first approach involves using unanimous consent to pass the bill, an option typically reserved for non-controversial legislation. This seems unlikely, as Sen. Cruz says, “It looks like we have a couple of Democrat objectors and one Republican objector. If we’re going to pass it by unanimous consent, we need Republican objectors and Democrat objectors to pull back their objection. So, I think your voices telling your Senators this matters, those voices are important.”
The most common option is securing a floor vote for the bill. This largely puts AM radio’s fate in the hands of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to bring the bill to the floor and would likely result in its passage. Said Sen. Cruz, “That’s simply a case of persuading [Sen. Schumer] that it’s worth the Senate’s time and focus on the issue. If it came for a vote it would pass with 9+ votes but Schumer has absolute ball control over whether it comes up.”
Lastly, the bill could be attached to other critical, must-pass legislation that is making its way through Congress. The most likely candidate for attachment this session would be the pressing long-term federal government spending bill. While a stop-gap was put in place to avoid a shutdown headed into October, the budget must be resolved before November 17.
Sen. Cruz emphasized his dedication to the bill’s passage to the NRB, stating he is committed to whatever method will successfully get the bill over the finish line. Meanwhile in the US House, the Act passed an important benchmark in the House of Representatives, with more than 75% of the votes it needs to pass.
Senator Ted Cruz further elaborated his stance on AM in a one-on-one with Radio Ink earlier this year. That full interview can be found here.
