Right to Repair

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 30 active states:

1. Alaska – SB 112, which covers all products using digital electronics except cars. The bill was carried over from 2023.
2. Alabama – HB 261, which covers farm equipment.
3. Arizona – SB1536, which covers consumer electronics.
4. California – SB 1384, which covers powered wheelchairs.
5. Colorado – HB1121, which expands existing law (for wheelchairs and farm equipment) to consumer devices and business computing.
6. Connecticut – SB 3 – An omnibus consumer protection measure with consumer device Right to Repair incorporated into the larger package.
7. Delaware – HB41, a broad template bill which covers a broad range of devices, but excludes farm equipment.
8. Hawaii – SB2700, which covers consumer devices such as home appliances, personal electronics, and farming equipment, among others.
9. Illinois – SB 2669, which covers farm equipment, and SB 2680 for consumer electronics.
10. Indiana – SB 53, which covers electronics and farm equipment, and HB 1155, concerning farm equipment.
11. Kentucky – HB 698, which covers farm equipment.
12. Massachusetts – S2478, which covers handheld devices.
13. Maine – LD1487, a broad right to repair bill, narrowed to cover consumer electronics by committee.
14. Michigan – HB 4673, concerning farm equipment, which carried over from 2023 and SB 686, a broad template bill which exempts only cars.
15. Minnesota – HF 4418 and SF 4407, which build on existing law, remove some exemptions and add other protections. HF 4800 and SF 5318, which cover farm equipment.
16. Missouri – HB 1618, which concerns all electronic devices except for cars and HB 2041, a broad template bill. Lawmakers have also put forward a bill covering farm equipment (HB 2475), legislation that includes all electronics except medical equipment and alarm systems (SB 1472), and a motorcycle Right to Repair bill (HB 2800).
17. Mississippi – SB2005, which covers farm equipment.
18. New Hampshire – HB1701, which covers educational technology such as school-provided laptops.
19. New Jersey – S1723, a broad template bill which exempts only cars.
20. New York – S8492 and A8955, which roll back a set of loopholes in New York’s existing Right to Repair measure.
21. Ohio – SB 273, which covers everything except cars, farm and forestry equipment and medical equipment. Carried over from 2023.
22. Oklahoma – HB3823, a broad template measure, directs the attorney general to determine which products are covered.
23. Oregon – SB 1596, which covers all consumer electronics.
24. Pennsylvania – SB744, which covers digital electronic equipment. Cars, medical devices, and outdoor power, farming, yard and construction equipment are excluded. This bill was carried over from 2023.
25. Rhode Island – H7095 which covers everything with a microchip, a bill covering farm equipment (H7229),  and a wheelchair bill (S2840).
26. Tennessee – SB 2035 and HB 2029, are both farm right to repair bills and HB 1470, which relates to wheelchairs.
27. Utah – SB 269, which concerns farm equipment.
28. Vermont – H.81 which covers farm and forestry equipment was carried over from 2023, when it passed the House. There is also a wheelchair bill being considered (H.656).
29. Washington – HB 1933 covers consumer and enterprise electronics, farm equipment and power wheelchairs. There is a Senate companion, SB 6276.
30. West Virginia – SB 306, which covers farm, forestry and lawn equipment, passed the Senate in February. HB 4605 is also being considered and covers farm equipment.