HB390 Right to Repair
HB 390: Provide for Montana Right to Repair Agricultural Equipment Act
Sponsored By Representative Paul Tuss
co-sponsored by Representatives Lukas Schubert, Luke Muszkiewicz, Eric Albus, Curtis Cochran, Eric Tilleman, Marta Bertoglio, Russ Tempel, Mike Fox, Jerry Schillinger, Jane Gillette, Ellie Boldman, Mary Caferro, Jill Cohenour, Jonathan Karlen, Chris Pope, Linda Reksten, Melissa Romano, Sherry Essmann, Valerie Moore
HB 390 would provide Montana farmers, ranchers, and independent mechanics access to the tools and software needed to fully repair their own equipment.
- Equipment manufacturers refuse access or charge exorbitant prices for software and tools needed to make repairs.
- Delay in service from an authorized technician when repair is needed could cost a producer their crop.
- Montana law allows you to choose where you repair your car. Why not agricultural equipment?
- Supports independent repair shops in rural communities who can provide timely services to area farmers and ranchers.
- A 2018 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by a large Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) claimed they would provide the right to repair by 2021. They broke their promise. Other MOUs, again, claims the right to repair (by only ONE equipment manufacturer) but, is not legally binding. Farmers still don’t have the right to repair.
- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the attorneys general of Minnesota and Illinois have filed a lawsuit against John Deere & Co., alleging the company’s repair restrictions violate competition laws.
- National Farmers Union sent a letter to the EPA asserting that EPA rules and regulations require manufacturers to provide the tools needed to maintain and repair the emissions of our equipment. The head of the EPA, Michael Regan, affirmed NFU’s assertion.
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