On Thursday morning, in a full executive session convened by Chair Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation officially passed the AM For Every Vehicle Act on to the Senate floor.
The Act, which would mandate AM radios in autos as a safety feature through the Department of Transportation, is now eligible for a full Senate vote. As of this week, the bill reached 27 cosponsors in the Senate, more than half of the 51 votes the legislation would need to pass by way of simple majority. Sen. Cantwell herself joined Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Todd Young (R-IN), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) on the Act.
There is currently no set voting date for the AM For Every Vehicle Act, as Congress prepares for a month’s recess starting Saturday and lasting through Labor Day.
The corresponding bill in the House of Representatives, introduced by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), picked up five cosponsors this week: Reps. Brendan Boyle (D-PA), Carol Miller (R-WV), Kathy Manning (D-NC), Jennifer Wexton (D-VA), and Elise Stefanik (R-NY). Those new voices bring the total number of cosponsors to 137, well past the halfway mark of 109 needed for a 219 simple majority vote.
Amidst ongoing debates about the role of AM radio in vehicles, Curtis LeGeyt, President of the National Association of Broadcasters, offered his latest insights into the situation during a recent call-in to Colorado’s Morning News with Marty Lenz & Jeana Gondek on iHeartMedia Denver’s KOA-AM. The complete conversation is available for listening here.
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