ALEXANDRIA, Va. – More on the passage of the Right to Repair ballot measure in Massachusetts this week: According to Sandy Bass-Cors, executive director for The Coalition for Auto Repair Equality, voters in Massachusetts approved the Right to Repair referendum by an 85 percent to 15 percent margin. More than 2 million Massachusetts voters approved the measure.
“Massachusetts voters have once again fired the first shot in the nation to pass the pro-consumer/pro-small business Right to Repair Act,” said Bass-Cors. “Passage of the Massachusetts Right to Repair ballot follows on the heels of the Massachusetts legislature’s unanimous passage of the Right to Repair legislation, which was signed into law by Governor Deval Patrick on Aug. 7, 2012. Massachusetts citizens now have the strength of their own voices on the ballot issue and the backing of the state legislature to ensure that they can spend their hard-earned money on their personal property the way they choose."
Art Kinsman of the Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition added, “Voters sent a clear message to automakers: It’s my car; I paid for it; and I’ll get it fixed where I want and not where some big corporation tells me to.”
The Massachusetts legislation and the ballot question will now be reconciled for the best advantage for consumers, the coalition says.
Right to Repair was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives and concluded this congressional session with 52 bi-partisan co-sponsors. Of the 10 Massachusetts U.S. Representatives, five cosponsored HR 1449, the federal Right to Repair bill. They are Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.), Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.), Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-Mass.) and Rep. John Olver (D-Mass.).
“The Massachusetts and the federal Right to Repair Act help motoring consumers save money by allowing them the freedom to choose quality, affordable vehicle repairs. The federal Right to Repair Act does not use taxpayers’ money, does not create new regulations and does not request or need proprietary information. It does, in fact, promote job growth in the automotive aftermarket, which currently employs nearly five million people nationwide. Every member of Congress should seriously consider cosponsoring this pro-consumer/pro-growth economy legislation,” said Bass-Cors.
Members of the Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE) include NAPA, CARQUEST, AutoZone, Advance Auto Parts, Bridgestone-Firestone Retail Operations and O’Reilly Auto Parts.
