H.R. 8449 would direct the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue a rule requiring that AM broadcast stations be accessible in all passenger motor vehicles manufactured in, imported into, or shipped within the United States. (Passenger motor vehicles are those designed to primarily carry their operator and up to 12 passengers; the definition does not include motorcycles.) The bill would require DOT to issue the rule within one year of enactment and to report to the Congress at least every five years on the rule’s effects. DOT also would be required to evaluate, within three years of issuing the rule, whether AM broadcast stations are the best method of providing emergency alerts through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS).

Additionally, H.R. 8449 would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study the role AM broadcasts in passenger vehicles play in disseminating emergency alerts through IPAWS as well as the cost to consumers of requiring such devices. That study would need to be completed within 30 months of enactment.