MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers support REPAIR Act's congressional progress

MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers, a membership group of MEMA, The Vehicle Suppliers Association, supported the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce’s recent action reporting H.R. 906, the Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair (REPAIR) Act, out of the subcommittee. As a result, the REPAIR Act will next be considered by the full Energy and Commerce Committee.

“Without action from Congress, consumers will begin to lose choice and competition in the marketplace,” said Paul McCarthy, president and CEO, MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers. “The time is now for right to repair on all vehicles. Following this important action by the subcommittee, we look forward to working with all stakeholders to achieve consensus on further improvements to the legislation that protect competition and consumer choice.”

Co-sponsored by Representatives Brendan Boyle (D-PA), Warren Davidson (R-OH), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-OR), the Right to Repair Act may still be altered depending on recommendations from committee members, Members of Congress, and other stakeholders in the action. In the meantime, Representative Neal Dunn (R-Florida) has been guiding the legislation through the subcommittee process as it moves through Congress.

The REPAIR Act includes the following points:

• Granting consumers access to both light-duty and heavy-duty vehicle repair, maintenance, and parts of their choosing through all iterations of vehicle technology on the road today and to come.
• Granting consumers, repair shops, and suppliers access all necessary telematics and diagnostics data.
• Creating a mechanism for enforcement of national standards.
• Ensuring that independent repair shops and suppliers can use bi-directional communication to update vehicles and parts to the latest software.
• Authorizing NHTSA to set cybersecurity rules governing wireless access.
• Addressing the risk of repair monopolies that can occur when access to data and information is restricted.