AM Radio Bill Reaches Senate Calendar No. 622 (2026)

H.R.979, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025, is now Senate Calendar No. 622 — one floor vote away from the President's desk, and one step closer to putting free over-the-air radio back in every new car. The House passed the bill by voice vote on September 15, 2026. The Senate received it the next day, read it twice, and placed it on the Legislative Calendar under General Orders on September 16, 2026, according to the bill record at Congress.gov. That is a new status, not a new bill: same text, same bill number, and no House re-vote pending.

For anyone who relies on free broadcast reception — scanner listeners included — the move matters because it is the only federal bill in this Congress that protects over-the-air radio as a public safety channel.

What Senate Calendar No. 622 actually means

Placing a bill on the Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders is procedural, but it is not trivial. It means the bill has cleared committee hurdles and is eligible for floor consideration. The House passage we covered earlier still governs the bill's official tracker status: "Passed House."

The sequence from here is short and simple:

1. A Senate floor vote.
2. If it passes unchanged, the bill goes to the President.
3. Signature, then the Department of Transportation begins rulemaking.

One flag worth stating plainly: the Senate has not scheduled that vote as of this writing. Enactment is possible, but it is not assured.

What the bill would require

The provisions are unchanged from the reported text:

• The Department of Transportation must issue a rule requiring AM radio, including digital audio AM, as standard equipment in new passenger vehicles.
• AM reception must be easily accessible to the driver, not buried behind a subscription tier or a hidden menu.
• Vehicles built before the rule takes effect that lack AM must carry clear labeling, and makers cannot charge a separate fee for AM access.
• The rule and DOT's enforcement authority expire 10 years after enactment.
• The Government Accountability Office must study emergency-alert dissemination, comparing AM radio against other Integrated Public Alert and Warning System technologies.

The last two items matter for cost arguments. This is a sunset rule with a built-in review, not a permanent mandate on automakers.

Why AM radio still matters in an emergency

AM broadcast is a backbone of the Emergency Alert System. Its long-wavelength signal travels farther than FM, bends around terrain, and reaches rural stretches where cellular coverage is thin. When a storm takes out fiber, cell sites, and power, a car radio running on a 12-volt battery is often the last receiver still working.

That is the same argument scanner listeners make about keeping free, unencrypted local dispatch available. Different technology, same principle: the public should be able to hear what is happening without asking a platform's permission. Our guide to scanners as a disaster lifeline covers the receiving side of that idea.

What this means for scanner and radio listeners

An AM mandate does not add a single police frequency to the air. What it does is keep a cheap, resilient receiver in the dashboard of every new car, which keeps local broadcasters and emergency managers investing in the band. Public safety radio and broadcast radio share the same failure mode: when the internet and the cell network go down, both are what is left.

If you want to hear your own county's traffic tonight rather than waiting on a rulemaking, a pre-programmed Baofeng UV-5R Plus ships loaded with your local frequencies, so it works the moment you turn it on.

What could still stop the bill

Three things, in order of likelihood:

• Calendar time. A bill on the calendar still needs floor time, and the Senate controls its own schedule.
• A hold or amendment. Any senator can slow a unanimous-consent path, and a hostile amendment would send the bill back to the House.
• The clock. Bills that do not pass before a Congress ends die with it and must be reintroduced.

None of these are fatal, and none have happened yet. The status today is: passed the House, sitting on the Senate calendar, awaiting a vote.

FAQ

Is the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act law yet?

No. It has passed the House and is on the Senate Legislative Calendar as Calendar No. 622. It needs a Senate floor vote and the President's signature before it becomes law.

What is Senate Calendar No. 622?

It is the bill's position on the Senate's Legislative Calendar under General Orders. The number is assigned in the order bills are placed on the calendar, and it means H.R.979 is eligible for floor consideration.

Which vehicles would need AM radio?

New passenger vehicles, once the Department of Transportation issues its rule. The requirement applies to vehicles built after the rule's effective date.

Would the bill ban cars that lack AM radio?

No. Vehicles built before the rule's effective date that lack AM must carry clear labeling, and manufacturers cannot charge a separate fee for AM access.

Does the mandate last forever?

No. The rule and DOT's enforcement authority expire 10 years after enactment, and the GAO must study how well AM radio performs as an emergency-alert channel compared with other IPAWS technologies.

Can I listen to local emergency traffic right now?

Yes, where dispatch is still in the clear. Check our encryption guide for what is still audible in your area, and our frequency guide to get started.

Bottom line: H.R.979 moved from House passage to Senate Calendar No. 622 on September 16, 2026, and nothing in the text changed. The bill would keep AM radio in every new car for 10 years and require a GAO study on emergency alerts. One Senate vote stands between the bill and the President's desk.