Oklahoma U.S. Sens. James Lankford and Markwayne Mullin are among those in congress who are fighting efforts to make sure automakers include AM radio in their vehicles.
Both signed on as co-sponsors of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act which has the support of 60 members of the Senate. The legislation would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to require automakers to maintain AM broadcast radio in their new vehicles at no additional charge. The House legislation has 246 co-sponsors.
“Emergency alerts save lives and AM radio ensures that drivers can hear them as soon as possible. If you’re on a road trip or driving to work, you shouldn’t be blocked from having access to news, music, sports, or weather because of the kind of car you drive. The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act will keep AM radio in cars across America,” said Lankford.
Cosponsors in the Senate include: Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Boozman (R-AR), Katie Britt (R-AL), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ted Budd (R-NC), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Robert Casey (D-PA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), John Kennedy (R-LA), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rick Scott (R-FL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Kirsten Sinema (I-AZ), Tina Smith (D-MN), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Jon Tester (D-MT), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), J.D. Vance (R-OH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Todd Young (R-IN).
The Kansas legislature voted last month in support of a nonbinding resolution urging Congress to require automakers to place AM radios in new vehicles. It was the subject of an opinion piece by journalist Max McCoy who wrote about it in the Kansas Reflector.