The AM Radio in Every Vehicle Act now has a simple majority of co-sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Twelve representatives — seven Republican, five Democrat — enlisted as co-sponsors on Friday, bringing the total number to 228, beyond the 218 needed to pass legislation in the House.
Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) introduced the legislation (H.R. 979).
National Association of Broadcasters’ President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt called the support a “pivotal milestone” for the bill.
“We look forward to continuing our work with the Energy and Commerce Committee and House leadership to advance this bill without delay,” LeGeyt said in a release.
Radio World reported on a similar milestone for the Senate version (S.315) in April, introduced by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.).
The legislation would require the secretary of transportation to conduct a rulemaking proceeding — to be completed within one year — to mandate that AM receivers be included in all vehicles sold in the U.S. as a standard feature, without any additional cost to new car buyers.
What are the next steps?
But despite the bipartisan support, the bill has opposition, and the timetable for advancement is uncertain.
In the House, it currently sits in the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. In the Senate, the bill was placed on its legislative calendar and has yet to receive further scheduling.
The AM Radio legislation was previously passed by the Senate Commerce Committee in July 2023 and the House Energy and Commerce Committee in September 2024. But the congressional year ended without the bill’s advancement.
“As broadcasters learned in the last Congress, even with significant bipartisan support, legislation can still not make it to the president’s desk,” David Oxenford wrote in his blog earlier this year.
