WASHINGTON — An additional 16 members of Congress have signed on to co-sponsor the REPAIR (Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair) Act (H.R. 906), bringing the total to 28 bipartisan supporters of the federal vehicle right-to-repair legislation.
The bill's co-sponsors represent 16 states and Puerto Rico.
The bill was introduced Feb. 9 by the bipartisan team of Reps. Neal Dunn, R-Fla.; Brendan Boyle, D-Pa.; Warren Davidson, R-Ohio; and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash. Eight additional members signed on as co-sponsors in April.
The bill is awaiting action in the House Subcommittee on Innovation, Data and Commerce.
The congressional members who became co-sponsors in May are: Donald G. Davis, D-N.C.; John H. Rutherford, R-Fla.; Jay Obernolte, R-Calif.; Chellie Pingree, D-Maine; Mark E. Amodei, R-Nev.; Bill Posey, R-Fla.; Chris Pappas, D-N.H.; Salud O. Carbajal, D-Calif.; Zachary Nunn, R-Iowa; Jim Banks, R-Ind.; Glenn Grothman, R-Wis.; Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M.; Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J.; Christopher Smith, R-N.J.; Dina Titus, D-Nev.; and Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón, R-Puerto Rico.
According to the bill's supporters, the REPAIR Act will:
- Preserve consumer access to high quality and affordable vehicle repair by ensuring that vehicle owners and their repairers of choice have access to necessary repair and maintenance tools and data as vehicles continue to become more advanced;
- Ensure cybersecurity by allowing vehicle manufacturers to secure vehicle-generated data and requiring the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop standards for how vehicle-generated data necessary for repair can be accessed securely;
- Provide transparency for consumers by requiring vehicle owners be informed that they can choose where and how to get their vehicle repaired;
- Create a stakeholder advisory committee and providing them with the statutory authority to provide recommendations to the FTC on how to address emerging barriers to vehicle repair and maintenance; and
- Provide ongoing enforcement by establishing a process for consumers and independent repair facilities to file complaints with the FTC regarding alleged violations of the requirements in the bill and a requirement that the FTC act within five months of a claim.
