The Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition has says it has received an
official letter from the Secretary of State’s office confirming that
83,180 signatures have been approved. This action moves the Right to
Repair question toward the state’s 2012 ballot.
“The number of signatures gathered in support of the ballot measure
demonstrates that Massachusetts car owners value their ability to
control where their vehicle is serviced, whether it is at a dealership
or one of the thousands of independent repair shops in the
Commonwealth,” said Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO of the
Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). “We feel confident
that next November, Massachusetts citizens will vote strongly in favor
of the Right to Repair measure.”
The Massachusetts Right to Repair voter initiative would, for the first
time, allow consumers to access all of the non-proprietary repair
information required to have their vehicles repaired where they choose,
at a new car dealership or an independent shop. The proposed law would
require that car companies provide independent shops with access to
their diagnostic software through a standardized vehicle interface and
utilizing a generic laptop, thus leveling the playing field between the
OEM dealerships and independent repair facilities, according to Right to
Repair proponents. If enacted, the ballot measure will permit all
independent shops to obtain affordable just-in-time access to the latest
non-proprietary automobile diagnostic and repair information that is
currently available to the manufacturers’ dealers and their new car
dealerships.
The Right to Repair Act was introduced in Massachusetts for the 2011-12
legislative session by Rep. Garrett Bradley (D-Hingham) and Sen. John
Hart (D-South Boston) and has more than 60 co-sponsors. The legislature
is expected to hold a committee hearing on the ballot petition in
February and has until May 1 to act, whereby they can preclude the need
for a ballot measure by enacting the Right to Repair Act.
“We are hopeful that Massachusetts lawmakers will pass Right to Repair
legislation in the coming months, but if they do not act, Massachusetts
voters will have the last word thus ending the battle that has pitted
the large vehicle manufacturers against the state’s consumers and the
independent aftermarket,” said Sandy Bass-Cors, executive director of
the Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE).
More information:
Right to Repair Massachusetts
