HR-979-119
Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 622.
Sponsored by Gus Bilirakis (R-FL)
What it does
This bill would require the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule mandating that new passenger vehicles include, as standard equipment, a device capable of receiving AM broadcast signals. Small manufacturers (40,000 or fewer vehicles sold in 2022) get a longer compliance timeline, and until the rule takes effect, manufacturers omitting AM capability must disclose that clearly to buyers and cannot charge extra for restoring it. It also preempts state and local laws on AM radio access in vehicles, directs a GAO study on emergency alert technology, and sunsets the entire Act 8 years after enactment.
Who benefits
AM radio broadcasters and their listeners, including rural residents, older adults, and non-English-speaking communities who rely on AM for local news, weather, and agricultural information; emergency management officials who use AM as part of the national alert system; drivers who want AM access without added cost.
Who is hurt
Automakers, especially those transitioning to electric vehicles where AM reception can conflict with electric motor interference, who would bear engineering and compliance costs; manufacturers of alternative in-vehicle audio technology who may see reduced differentiation; states or localities that might otherwise regulate vehicle radio access differently, since this bill blocks that authority.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that AM radio remains a critical, resilient part of the national emergency alert system, especially given AM's long broadcast range and reliability during natural disasters when cell networks fail, and note that automakers have been quietly removing AM receivers, particularly from electric vehicles. They contend that federal statute is needed to guarantee near-universal public access to this asset at no added cost to consumers.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that mandating a specific legacy technology in all new vehicles interferes with manufacturers' engineering choices and may raise costs or complicate electric vehicle design, particularly given electromagnetic interference challenges. They contend that emergency alerts already reach the public through multiple newer channels, such as smartphones and satellite radio, making a hardware mandate for one specific technology an unnecessary federal intrusion into vehicle design decisions best left to manufacturers and market demand.
Constitutional context
Congress's authority to regulate vehicle manufacturing and interstate commerce rests on the Commerce Clause (Art. I, §8, cl. 3), and the preemption of state laws on AM radio access in vehicles draws on the Supremacy Clause; this is a standard exercise of federal preemption in an area of interstate commerce rather than a novel constitutional question.
Checks and balances
Congress directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue a binding rule within a set timeframe, delegating rulemaking discretion to the executive branch while requiring reports to Congress and a sunset clause that limits the rule's duration to 8 years, and courts retain post-Loper Bright authority to independently review the rule's statutory basis.
Historical precedent
Federal vehicle safety and equipment mandates, such as seatbelt and airbag requirements issued through NHTSA rulemaking under Title 49, offer a general precedent for Congress directing equipment standards in passenger vehicles, though no directly analogous mandate for a specific broadcast-reception technology has been enacted before.