Colorado Approves First-Ever Agricultural Right to Repair Bill
Denver legislators have just passed the first-ever agricultural Right to Repair bill. Today's landslide 44-16 vote in the House follows a successful vote in the Senate last month. iFixit reports: Once the Agricultural Right to Repair bill passes, manufacturers will be required to share all the parts, embedded software, firmware, tools, and documentation necessary for repair. One critical step remains: a signature by Governor Polis, who has signaled that he supports the legislation. To support Right to Repair legislation near you, find your state on Repair.org -- or, if you're outside the US, look for your country's advocacy network here. The summary of HB23-1011 reads: "Starting January 1, 2024, the bill requires a manufacturer to provide parts, embedded software, firmware, tools, or documentation, such as diagnostic, maintenance, or repair manuals, diagrams, or similar information (resources), to independent repair providers and owners of the manufacturer's agricultural equipment to allow an independent repair provider or owner to conduct diagnostic, maintenance, or repair services on the owner's agricultural equipment. The bill folds agricultural equipment into the existing consumer right-to-repair statutes, which statutes provide the following: - A manufacturer's failure to comply with the requirement to provide resources is a deceptive trade practice;- In complying with the requirement to provide resources, a manufacturer need not divulge any trade secrets to independent repair providers and owners; and - Any new contractual provision or other arrangement that a manufacturer enters into that would remove or limit the manufacturer's obligation to provide resources to independent repair providers and owners is void and unenforceable; and - An independent repair provider or owner is not authorized to make modifications to agricultural equipment that permanently deactivate any safety notification system or bring the equipment out of compliance with safety or emissions laws or to engage in any conduct that would evade emissions, copyright, trademark, or patent laws."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.