Michigan Ag Right to Repair Bill Scheduled For Vote

House Bill 4673 is scheduled for a vote by the House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday, October 25, at 9:00 a.m. in Room 327 of the House Office Building at the Michigan State Capitol. We’ve included the notice of the meeting HERE.

The committee is not accepting testimony; however, there is still time to register with the committee clerk as opposed to this legislation. We ask that you email Justin Easter at jeaster@house.mi.gov. Please ask to be registered as OPPOSED to HB 4673 and that you do not wish to testify.

Since it has been a few months, here is a quick review of the history of this bill: Representative Reggie Miller introduced HB4673 in May of 2023. NAEDA and our industry partners immediately flagged it as harming our members and the industry. The two primary reasons for our opposition to this bill are that it creates price-fixing mandates for parts, inherently creating a problem for dealers where their supplier is also their competitor. Additionally, this bill mandates that OEMs provide all tools – including software – that are used for diagnosing, maintaining, or repairing agricultural equipment, which would allow unfettered access to systems that are currently regulated under the federal Clean Air Act and required to have digital locks installed by the OEM. Allowing access to these systems – such as the emissions controller – creates a risk that not only are repairs able to be done, but illegal modifications can also be done. The result of a state mandate that OEMs provide access to software – that exists because of federal mandates – creates a cascade of adverse effects that disproportionately affect the dealer when a customer brings modified equipment back for legal repairs or trade-ins.

Again, we ask that you please contact the committee clerk as described at the beginning of this alert and register in opposition to HB4673. If you would also like to contact the individual committee members to express how this legislation would impact you, please get in touch with Kipp McGuire, Director of Government Affairs for NAEDA, at kmcguire@naeda.com.