By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff
SEMA, the CAR Coalition, MEMA Aftermarket and the Auto Care Association applaud a new group of bipartisan cosponsors 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. In addition to original 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 additional members have signed on in support of the REPAIR Act: Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Brittany Pettersen (D-CO), Tim Walberg (R-MI), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Ann Kuster (D-NH) and Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL).
New co-sponsor Rep. Gimenez said the REPAIR Act's public safety provisions are critical to his support. "As a career first responder, protecting the American people and our public safety has been one of my top priorities in Congress," said Gimenez (FL-28). "I'm proud to join my colleagues in co-sponsoring the bipartisan REPAIR Act, which ensures that car owners have access to their vehicle’s data and can make informed, cost-saving decisions on where to take their car for repairs."
Specifically, 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 that 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.
- 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 a letter to your U.S. Representative that asks them to support the REPAIR Act by cosponsoring the bill.
While the REPAIR Act is important to repair-and-replace businesses, there is still 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.