Right To Repair

Want the right to repair your stuff? We are working to get Apple, John Deere and other companies to provide access to the information, tools and parts we need.

Colorado Gov. Signs farm right to repair law
Ted Gotwals | TPIN
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis sign a law granting Right to Repair to farmers.

Companies don’t make things like they used to, and that’s a big problem. Not long ago, most consumer goods and business products were easily repaired with parts that were widely available. But more and more, manufacturers of cell phones, medical devices, appliances and even tractors have implemented various legal, digital and physical barriers that prevent consumers from doing their own repairs or using independent repair shops.

The result is a massive amount of waste — in fact, electronic waste is now the fastest growing waste stream in the world. Americans purchase about 160 million new smartphones each year — a habit that takes some 23.7 million tons of raw material to satisfy. Continuing to extract, produce and consume electronics at this rate is simply not sustainable. 

We are working to pass Right to Repair laws that would require manufacturers like Apple, John Deere and Microsoft to provide consumers and independent repairers with access to the parts, physical and software tools, and information such as schematics at a fair and reasonable price. By fixing our laws, we can make it easier to fix our stuff. That’s good for us, and good for the planet.

Right to Repair is notching state wins

Right to Repair legislation has passed in Massachusetts (in 2012 and 2020), Colorado (2022 and 2023), New York, Minnesota, Maine and California. Many other states are still moving forward.

So far in 2024, there are already 27 active states:

    1. AK – SB 112 – covers everything but cars. Carried over from 2023.
    2. AZ – SB1536 – consumer devices. 
    3. CA – SB 1384Wheelchair Right to Repair. 
    4. CO – HB1121 – expands law (which covers wheelchairs and farm equipment) to consumer devices and business computing. 
    5. CT – SB 3 – An omnibus consumer protection measure with consumer device Right to Repair inserted. 
    6. HI – SB2700 – consumer devices. 
    7. IL – SB 2669 – covering farm equipment, and SB 2680 – consumer devices. 
    8. IN – SB 53 – Consumer electronics and farm equipment, and HB 1155, a farm equipment bill. 
    9. KY – HB 698 – covers farm equipment. 
    10. MA – S2478 – Handheld devices – carried over from 2023. Passed committee of origin.
    11. ME – LD1487 – broad right to repair bill.
    12. MI – HB 4673 – Farm equipment, which carried over from 2023 and SB 686, a broad template bill which exempts only cars. 
    13. MO – HB 1618 – All electronic devices except for cars and HB 2041, a broad template bill,  HB 2475 covering farm equipment, SB 1472 covers everything but medical equipment and alarm systems, and a motorcycle Right to Repair bill, HB 2800
    14. MS – SB2005 – covering farm equipment. 
    15. NH – HB1701 – Educational technology. 
    16. NJ – S 1723 – a broad template bill which exempts only cars. 
    17. NY – S8492, A8955 – restores protections in New York’s Right to Repair law. 
    18. OH – SB 273 – covers everything except cars, farm and forestry equipment and medical equipment. Carried over from 2023. 
    19. OK – HB3823 – broad template, but products determined by the AG. 
    20. OR – SB 1596 –  covers all consumer electronics. 
    21. PA – SB744 – covers all devices except cars, medical devices, and outdoor power, farming, yard and construction equipment. Carried over from 2023. 
    22. RI – H7095 – a broad template bill, plus a Farm equipment bill H 7229
    23. TN – SB 2035 and HB 2029, which are both farm right to repair bills and HB 1470 which relates to wheelchairs. 
    24. UT SB 269 concerning farm equipment. 
    25. VT – H.81 – Farm and forestry equipment – carried over from 2023. Also a wheelchair bill, H.656
    26. WA – HB 1933 – Consumer and enterprise electronics, farm equipment and power wheelchairs and a Senate companion, SB 6276
    27. WV – SB 306 – which covers farm, forestry and lawn equipment recently passed the Senate, and HB 4605 which covers farm equipment.

 

What is Right to Repair? A short overview.

Updates
Team
Nathan
Proctor

Nathan
Proctor

Senior Director, Campaign for the Right to Repair, PIRG

Abe
Scarr

Abe
Scarr

State Director, Illinois PIRG Education Fund

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