The right to repair just keeps on winning. Last week, thanks in part to messages from EFF supporters, the Washington legislature passed a strong consumer electronics right-to-repair legislation through both the House and Senate. The bill affirms our right to repair by banning restrictions that keep people and local businesses from accessing the parts, manuals, and tools they need for cheaper, easier repairs. It joined another strong right-to-repair bill for wheelchairs, ensuring folks can access the parts and manuals they need to fix their mobility devices. Both measures now head to Gov. Bob Ferguson. If you’re in Washington State, please urge the governor to sign these important bills.
Washington State has come close to passing strong right-to-repair legislation before, only to falter at the last moments. This year, thanks to the work of our friends at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (USPIRG) and their affiliate Washington PIRG, a coalition of groups got the bill through the legislature by emphasizing that the right to repair is good for people, good for small business, and good for the environment. Given the cost of new electronic devices is likely to increase, it’s also a pocketbook issue that more lawmakers should get behind.
This spring marked the first time that all 50 states have considered right-to-repair legislation. Seven states—California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Maine, New York, and Oregon—have right-to-repair laws to date. If you’re in Washington, urge Gov. Ferguson to sign both bills and make your state the eighth to join this elite club. Let’s keep this momentum going!
