WASHINGTON, D.C. — Massachusetts’ Motor Vehicle Owners Right to Repair Bill, SB 2517, has passed the state senate and is now being considered by the House of Representatives.
The Automotive Service Association (ASA) opposes the bill and believes that it puts at risk the progress that has been made through the ASA-Automaker Agreement, which the association says already assures repairers access to service, tool and training information.
Independent repairers have available third-party information providers as well as automaker websites to obtain service information. If concerns arise, repairers have the National Automotive Service Task Force (NASTF) available to address issues related to service information, tools and training, according to ASA.
The National Automotive Service Task Force was established to facilitate the identification and correction of gaps in availability and accessibility of automotive service information, service training, diagnostic tools and equipment, and communications for the benefit of automotive service professionals. NASTF is a voluntary, cooperative effort among the automotive service industry, the equipment and tool industry and automotive manufacturers.
ASA believes that the NASTF, OEM websites and other third-party service information providers are able to provide automotive repair facilities with the information necessary to successfully repair vehicles. Massachusetts SB 2517 relies on the Massachusetts court system and the Massachusetts state government bureaucracy to assist repairers in acquiring service information, according to ASA.
At the federal level, the U.S. Congress has failed to move Right to Repair for nearly a decade, ASA says. Both the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau have testified in favor of a voluntary industry solution versus a legislative solution. Additionally, seven different states have considered this bill in the past but haven’t moved the legislation forward.
ASA believes that Massachusetts SB 2517 should be opposed for the following reasons:
• There is a viable industry solution already in place for the service information issue.
• Service information opportunities have expanded under the Automotive Service Association-Automaker Agreement.
• Independent repairers want less government bureaucracy in their businesses, not more.
Ultimately, this legislation would promote, without a compelling governmental rationale, more government bureaucracy, more regulation and more litigation, according to ASA.
The association is asking that all automotive independent repairers in Massachusetts contact state legislators and urge them to oppose this legislation. More information can be found at www.takingthehill.com.
The Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition, which supports the bill, also provides information at www.massrighttorepair.org.
