Right to Repair Battle Moves to the States

As the battle for passage of the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act by the U.S. Congress gears up this year, it's already is at full throttle in the states. Six states' legislatures-New Jersey, Oklahoma, New York, Florida, Maine and Nevada-are considering Right to Repair legislation, and other states likely will follow soon. Similar to the federal legislation, all of the bills would require that the car companies make available to the aftermarket the same information and tools they make available to their dealerships.

In New Jersey, the legislation (A. 931), introduced by Democratic Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, was passed unanimously by the Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee and is awaiting action by the full Assembly. A companion bill, S. 2553, was introduced by Senate Majority Leader Bernard Kenny (D-NJ) and Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-NJ) and has been referred to the Senate Commerce Committee.

In Oklahoma, Right to Repair legislation (H.B. 1584) was introduced by Rep. Lucky Lamons (D-OK) and was referred to the Rules Committee. The bill has drawn considerable opposition from dealers and car companies, but is supported by the American Automobile Association (AAA) of Oklahoma.

Assemblyman Darryl Towns (DOK), along with 21 other legislators, recently introduced the New York state version of Right to Repair legislation. Darryl Towns is the son of Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), who has been a key sponsor of the bill in Congress over the past several years. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Transportation.

The legislation in Florida (S.B. 2890) was introduced by Sen. Charlie Justice (D-16), in Maine (L.D. 1210) by Sen. Dennis Damon (D-28) and in Nevada (S.B. 1320) by Sen. Warren Hardy (R-12).

Copyright Hearst Business Publishing Apr 2007
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