By the SEMA D.C. office
The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), the Auto Care Association, the CAR Coalition and the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) Aftermarket applaud a new group of bipartisan co-sponsors of the "Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair (REPAIR) Act" (H.R. 906), a bill that will ensure choice, fairness and safety in the vehicle repair market. Initially introduced by lead bill sponsor Representative Neal Dunn (R-FL) and co-sponsors Reps. Brendan Boyle (D-PA), Warren Davidson (R-OH) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives signed on to support the REPAIR Act in April.
An additional 16 members of Congress were officially added as co-sponsors in May, bringing the total to 28 U.S. House members who support vehicle owners' right to choose where they get their vehicles maintained and repaired. The new co-sponsors include:
- Rep. Donald G. Davis (D-NC-1)
- Rep. John H. Rutherford (R-FL-5)
- Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23)
- Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1)
- Rep. Mark E. Amodei (R-NV-2)
- Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL-8)
- Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH-1)
- Rep. Salud O. Carbajal (D-CA-24)
- Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR-At Large)
- Rep. Zachary Nunn (R-IA-3)
- Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN-3)
- Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI-6)
- Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM-2)
- Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-5)
- Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ-4)
- Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV-1)
Bipartisan support for the bill continues to grow. The REPAIR Act is the only bill that addresses vehicle maintenance and repair restrictions. Specifically, the REPAIR Act will:
- Preserve consumer access to high-quality, 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 to be informed that they can choose where and how to get their vehicle repaired.
- Create a stakeholder advisory committee and provide them with the statutory authority to provide recommendations to the Federal Trade Committee (FTC) on how to address emerging barriers to vehicle repair and maintenance.
- 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.
Click here to send your U.S. Representative a letter asking them to support the REPAIR Act by co-sponsoring the bill.
While the REPAIR Act is important to repair and replacement businesses, we still have more work to do. The current legislation does not extend to a right to modify. SEMA is committed to protecting the right to modify vehicles by prohibiting automakers from locking down ECUs and ensuring aftermarket companies have access to the information needed to recalibrate vehicles with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) after they have been modified.
For more information, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.