ALEXANDRIA, VA — In a recent letter to members of Congress, Reps. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) and Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) made a plea for co-sponsoring of the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act, H.R. 2048, the Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE)announced today. Rep. Towns is one of the bill’s co-sponsors.
According to David Parde, president of CARE, the Right to Repair Act has a direct impact on independent and minority-owned automotive repair shops and jobs, and applauds Reps. Towns and Sanchez for taking a stand. He said, “Minority constituents who run or work in repair shops and own cars would be adversely affected if this bill doesn’t pass. I’m sure they’re grateful to have members like Reps. Towns and Sanchez standing up for them.”
Reps. Towns and Sanchez call for full congressional support to consider saving minority-owned repair shops and thus jobs, helping those in communities nationwide who depend on them to keep their vehicles repaired at affordable prices.
The letter explains that H.R. 2048, the Barton-Towns-Issa bill, enables independent repair shops to compete with car dealerships by giving them access to repair information so constituents can choose where, how and by whom to have their vehicles repaired, and whose parts they wish to purchase. Without passage of the bill, the letter continues, independent and minority shops will continue to have problems accessing repair information and will have to send their customers to car dealerships for more expensive car repairs.
The letter goes on to say that the “Right to Repair Act puts automakers on notice that we expect a fair marketplace and competition to help motoring consumers and assure a fair playing field for independent and minority repair shops.” It stated that the bill will help independent repair shops rebuild in states that were recently devastated by natural disasters and help motoring consumers which must also rebuild their lives.
Currently, there are 88 cosponsors of the Right to Repair Act. A mark-up is expected to be scheduled soon.
_______________________________________
Click here to view the rest of today’s headlines.
