Massachusetts Motoring Consumers & Automotive Aftermarket Make History As First State To Pass 'Right to Repair', During Olympic Week, Setting Gold Standard For Other States & Congress To Follow, States CARE

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "During this Olympic week, Massachusetts legislators made its Commonwealth the Gold Standard for other states and Congress to follow by becoming the first state to pass the historic Right to Repair Act," stated Sandy Bass-Cors, executive director for The Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE).

The House vote was an overwhelming 153-0.  The senate unanimously passed Right to Repair earlier.  Governor Deval Patrick has 10 days to sign this popular, pro-consumer bill into law.

CARE first introduced Right to Repair into Congress in 2001, as vehicles became increasingly more computerized and access to the non-proprietary repair codes became nearly impossible.  Independent repair shops were often forced to turn consumers away to the new car dealerships, even when their vehicles were more recently out-of-warranty, causing consumers to pay the higher new dealership repair costs. 

In a joint show of support, the Right to Repair Coalition, the Massachusetts State Dealers Association, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Global Automakers, sent legislators a letter stating, "We believe that this bill ensures an acceptable agreement that will safeguard all of the stakeholders.  It will preserve choice for Massachusetts vehicle owners, protect manufacturers' intellectual property and preserve the integrity of the role of the dealer in the repair process, and continue innovation in motor vehicle diagnostics." 

"The Bi-Partisan-Sponsored Right to Repair Act in Congress, HR 1449, continues to garner cosponsors. Every Member of Congress should be cosponsored on this pro-consumer/pro-small business legislation which helps to maintain and grow jobs in the nearly five-million-employee-strong aftermarket, without using government/taxpayers' funding, without creating new regulations and without requesting or requiring proprietary information," stated Bass-Cors.

The Right to Repair Act in Congress has support from diverse organizations, including The American Automobile Association (AAA), The National Grange, The American Military Society and RetireSafe. More information on the federal Right to Repair can be found on: www.righttorepair.org.

"Consumers choices in their personal property, this time their vehicle repairs, is an American Tradition.  It shouldn't take Olympian efforts to give consumers what they need during this economic down-turn—affordable, quality repairs at the shops of their choice," concluded Bass-Cors.

CARE is a national, non-profit organization that represents nationally recognized companies in the automotive aftermarket, among them: NAPA, CARQUEST, AutoZone, Advance Auto Parts, O'Reilly Auto Parts and Bridgestone-Firestone Retail Operations.

The automotive aftermarket employs nearly five million people nationwide in nearly 500,000 aftermarket businesses.

SOURCE Coalition for Auto Repair Equality