The Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act (H.R. 2057) gained nine more co-sponsors for a total of 60 House of Representatives supporters. The new co-sponsors are: Michael Arcuri (D-N.Y.), Anh “Joseph” Cao (R-La.), Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.), James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.), Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) and Charles Wilson (D-Ohio).
“We thank these nine members of Congress for backing this critical piece of pro-consumer and pro-small business legislation,” said Ray Pohlman, president of the Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE). “The Right to Repair Act does not cost tax payers money, does not create a new agency and, more importantly, does not ask taxpayers for a bailout. It simply requires that vehicle manufacturers provide car owners and their trusted neighborhood repair shops with the same access to the same safety alerts, technical service bulletins, diagnostic tools and repair information they provide to their dealer network – nothing more, nothing less. The top priority of the Right to Repair Act is motoring consumer safety, ensuring that motorists know what is happening with their vehicles.”
Adds Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), “Allowing independent repair shops to compete on a level playing field promotes fair competition and ensures that car owners throughout the country continue to have access to affordable and convenient automotive repair. Supporters of Right to Repair are not seeking an unfair advantage, nor are they looking for access to the proprietary information protected by the bill. Instead, they are asking Congress to ensure that car owners, and not the car companies, decide where their vehicles are repaired.”
The Senate version of the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act (S 3181) was recently introduced with bipartisan support by Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kas.).
