BETHESDA, Md. – The Right to Repair Act has been introduced in Massachusetts for the 2011-12 legislative session. The 2011 legislation is sponsored by Rep. Garrett Bradley (D-Hingham) and Sen. John Hart (D-South Boston) and currently has more than 60 co-sponsors.
The Right to Repair legislation aims to provide better choices for consumers by ensuring that independent shops would have equal access to the same non-proprietary repair codes and service information as the new car dealerships. Repair shops will pay for the data, giving them the ability to compete on a level playing field and resulting in lower prices for consumers, according to proponents of the measure.
"What this bill is really about is ensuring our constituents will always have a choice to have their vehicles repaired at a shop of their choice. Given the tough economy we’re in, we have to remember that consumers pay a lot for their cars and for repairs, so they should get it fixed where they want," said Rep. Garrett Bradley (D-Hingham).
"We support the Right to Repair bill because it simply makes good sense for our members, and for all motorists," says Mary Maguire, director of Public and Legislative Affairs at AAA Southern New England. "Passage of Right to Repair will provide drivers with more affordable choices and greater convenience when it comes to car repair, and that represents a real victory for the motoring public.”
The Right to Repair Coalition says it achieved major success last year in raising awareness of the need to enact legislation that would require the vehicle manufacturers to sell the needed repair information to local repair shops. The coalition claims that, as it stands now, not all of the necessary repair information is available to independent, neighborhood car repair shops. Formal sessions for the Massachusetts Legislature ended on July 31, 2010, and although the Right to Repair Act passed the Senate unanimously, the House of Representatives was unable to take action on the bill before the session ended.
"There are 32,000 people who put food on the table by working in Massachusetts’ independent auto repair industry. You’ll find them on every corner, on every main street, in every neighborhood. Right to Repair will protect these jobs, the small independent businesses they work for, and most importantly their customers’ right to choose them to get their cars fixed," said Art Kinsman, spokesman for the Right to Repair Coalition.
For more information about the Right to Repair Act from the Right to Repair Coalition, visit www.righttorepair.org.
