National Right-to-Repair Bill Filed in Congress

On Thursday, Congressman Joseph Morelle (D-NY) filed national right-to-repair legislation with Congress. The Fair Repair Act would require manufacturers to provide device owners and independent repair stores access to the tools, parts, and information they need to fix electronics. If it passed, people could fix their own stuff without having to return their stuff without going through the people who made it. Farmers could fix their own tractors and we could all more easily fix our own phones.

Thus far, the overwhelming majority of right-to-repair legislation has been introduced at the state level; national legislation would obviously make implementation easier, because it would prevent different states from having different laws about electronics that all Americans own.

“For too long, large corporations have hindered the progress of small business owners and everyday Americans by preventing them from the right to repair their own equipment,” Rep. Morelle said in a statement . “It’s long past time to level the playing field, which is why I’m so proud to introduce the Fair Repair Act and put the power back in the hands of consumers. This common-sense legislation will help make technology repairs more accessible and affordable for items from cell phones to laptops to farm equipment, finally giving individuals the autonomy they deserve.”

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