Massachusetts' Motor Vehicle Owners Right to Repair Bill, Senate Bill 2517, has passed the state Senate and is now being considered by the House of Representatives. The Right to Repair Act puts at risk the progress that has been made through the Automotive Service Association (ASA)-Automaker Agreement, which already assures repairers access to service, tool and training information.
The National Automotive Service Task Force was established to facilitate the identification and correction of gaps in availability and accessibility of automotive service information, service training, diagnostic tools and equipment, and communications for the benefit of automotive service professionals. ASA believes that the NASTF, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) websites and other third-party service information providers are able to provide automotive repair facilities with the information necessary to successfully repair vehicles. Massachusetts Senate Bill 2517 relies on the Massachusetts court system and the Massachusetts state government bureaucracy to assist repairers in acquiring service information.
At the federal level, the U.S. Congress has failed to move Right to Repair for nearly a decade. Both the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau have testified in favor of a voluntary industry solution versus a legislative solution. Additionally, seven different states have considered this bill in the past and all have failed to move the legislation forward.
Massachusetts Senate Bill 2517 should be opposed for the following reasons: 1) There is a viable industry solution already in place for the service information issue.
2) Service information opportunities have expanded under the Automotive Service Association-Automaker Agreement. 3)
Independent repairers want less government bureaucracy in their businesses, not more.
Ultimately this legislation would promote, without a compelling governmental rationale, more government bureaucracy, more regulation and more litigation. ASA asks that all automotive independent repairers in Massachusetts contact their state legislators and urge them to oppose this legislation. To do so, visit ASA's legislative website, www.takingthehill.com. By clicking "Current Alerts" on the home page, you will find a letter to send to your Massachusetts legislator. For additional information about ASA, go to www.asashop.org.
