It was an unexpected turn on Capitol Hill, but now the fight to keep AM radio in the automobile dashboard has a new vehicle to a floor vote. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce voted Thursday to include the AM Act’s language in Chairman Brett Guthrie’s (R-KY) H.R. 7389, the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act of 2026.
The Committee adopted the relevant Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute during markup, before H.R. 7389 passed out of committee on a roll call vote of 48-1.
What happens next matters more than the committee vote. H.R. 7389 could itself be absorbed into the BUILD America 250 Act, the surface transportation reauthorization package moving toward the House floor. Highway and transit authorities expire September 30, and leaders on both sides of the aisle have signaled urgency around getting the BUILD America 250 Act to the president’s desk before that deadline, giving the AM Act its clearest path to enactment since its introduction.
NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt credited Chairmen Guthrie and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ). “As lawmakers consider policies affecting America’s transportation infrastructure, ensuring continued access to AM radio in vehicles remains essential for public safety,” LeGeyt said. “Leaders on both sides of the aisle recognize AM radio’s unique and indispensable role in keeping Americans informed, especially in times of emergency.”
The AM Act continues to move independently as H.R. 979/S. 315, with nearly 380 House and Senate cosponsors, but has yet to reach a floor vote as automakers and the Consumer Technology Association spend millions lobbying against it in 2026 alone. The bill did find renewed support in a notable place earlier this month: President Trump, during a May 12 call-in to Red Apple Media’s 77WABC, acknowledged the legislation had slipped off his radar amid Middle East tensions but pledged to act after host Sid Rosenberg pressed him on the dashboard fight.
However, there is a catch buried in H.R. 7389 that AM radio stakeholders will not welcome. Also folded into the bill is language from the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make Daylight Saving Time permanent nationwide. That measure has drawn pointed concern from AM broadcasters, as permanent DST would delay winter sunrises and hold many stations at reduced power during peak listening hours.
