ALEXANDRIA, VA — The Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE), in a press release, stated that Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) wants to deny consumers the right to repair their own vehicles. The non-profit organization said the Georgia Congressman has “chosen to side with the automakers” against the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act (H.R. 2048) legislation.
CARE is a national organization representing companies in the automotive aftermarket, among them: NAPA, Midas, CARQUEST, AutoZone, Advance Auto, Jiffy Lube, O’Reilly’s Auto Parts and CSK Auto.
The “Right to Repair” legislation would force automakers to provide to vehicle consumers and independent repair facilities the access to the information and tools they need to make repairs. The bill was introduced into Congress by Reps. Joe Barton (R-TX), Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Edolphus Towns (D-NY), and has more than 70 House co-sponsors.
Rep. Westmoreland penned a letter to members of Congress opposing H.R. 2048, saying it would “harm” the auto manufacturing industry.
“By siding with the car companies over consumers and small business, Rep. Westmoreland is showing himself to be a puppet for the automakers,” said David Parde, president of CARE.
According to Parde, instead of worrying about ‘harming’ the automakers, Westmoreland should be worried instead about the monopoly that will be created between the carmakers and their dealership service centers, the harm to the entire aftermarket, which employs more than five million people, and the harm to consumers of not having a neighborhood garage of their choice.
Also, in his letter, Rep. Westmoreland claimed the intellectual property of the car companies would be threatened. Parde noted that the stance Rep. Westmoreland has taken reflects his apparent misunderstanding of the purpose and intent of the bill.
“Nothing in this bill would harm their trade secrets. This is not a parts bill; it never has and never will be. If he read the bill, he would know that it contains specific language protecting automakers’ trade secrets and proprietary information,” said Parde. “Clearly, he is clueless about the bill and a poor and misleading messenger to his colleagues.”
CARE is launching a district radio advertising campaign during the Thanksgiving holiday, asking constituents to call Rep. Westmoreland and ask him to support the Motor Vehicle Owners Right to Repair Act.
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