The Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act has passed in the state senate and moves on to the House of Representatives for a final vote.

The right to repair bill would require manufacturers such as Toyota, GM, Ford and others to share relevant repair and safety information with local neighborhood automotive technicians and repair shops. Although much of the discussion involves car owners, the bill would apply to all vehicles, including heavy-duty commercial trucks.

"Strong support in the senate obviously shows that consumers want the right to choose where they take their cars for repair," said Art Kinsman of the Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition.

The bill also protects automobile manufacturers' proprietary information, eliminating the possibility of aftermarket parts production. Vehicle security codes are also protected by the legislation.

"The right to repair bill only requires manufacturers to release codes that are necessary to make repairs and crucial service bulletin issues," said Kinsman.

At the federal level, the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act was recently introduced into the U.S. Senate by Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and has four co-sponsors. The House version was introduced by Reps. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) and George Miller (D-Calif.) and currently has 67 co-sponsors.

To learn more, visit www.righttorepair.org or www.massrighttorepair.com.






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