Legislation now heads to Ways and Means Committee for review BOSTON, May 28
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
Following extensive debate, a Massachusetts legislative committee has approved legislation (HB 296) that will provide independent repair shops the same access to diagnostic repair information and tools that car companies made available to their franchised dealers. The Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure voted to report the landmark legislation out of committee favorably where it will next appear before the Committee on Ways and Means. Car manufacturers have lobbied hard against the legislation that is co-sponsored by state Rep. Vincent A. Pedone, D-Worcester, and state Sen. Mark C. Montigny, D-New Bedford, arguing that independent shops already have access to the information they need. When independent repair shops met with their local legislators and debunked that claim, manufacturers then suggested that the independents wanted "trade secrets" or proprietary information. "We have been clear from the beginning of this process that what we want - and what consumers want - is repair and diagnostic information that many of these manufacturers are selectively withholding," said Stan Morin, who manages a repair business and serves as the lead advocate for passage of the legislation on behalf of the Massachusetts Alliance of Automotive Service Providers (AASP). "We don't want or need their trade secrets or any information that could even vaguely be described as proprietary. If they are providing this repair information to dealers, then it isn't the secret recipe for Coca-Cola and they can provide that information to us." "I can understand why manufacturers might want to protect proprietary information, but these cars belong to the owner of the car and that owner has the right to get it repaired wherever they choose. There are hundreds of business and thousands of employees at work in our independent service centers and they deserve to be protected every bit as much as these dealers," said Pedone. Joining the Massachusetts Alliance of Automotive Service Providers (AASP) in its longstanding support of the legislation (House Bill 296) is the New England Service Station & Automotive Repair Association, Inc. (NESSARA); the Massachusetts Auto Body Association (MABA); and the Central Mass. Auto Rebuilders' Association. "We want to make sure that our members, and the industry as a whole, retain the ability to locate the information needed to repair all vehicles. We fully support this legislation's effort to keep the choice of where to have your vehicle repaired in the hands of the consumer," said NESSARA Executive Director Paul F. O'Connell. About Right to Repair: The Right to Repair Act would require car companies to make the same service information and tools capabilities available to independent repair shops that they provide their to their franchised dealer networks. The legislation further provides car companies with strong protections for their trade secrets unless that information is provided to the franchised new car dealers. For more information about the Right to Repair Act, visit www.RightToRepair.org.
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