Senate Bill 73 has been scheduled for a 2nd hearing in the Senate Financial Institutions and Technology Committee at 9:30 a.m. on March 21st. The hearing will ONLY allow proponent in-person testimony.
As a refresher, SB 73 is a broad-based Right to Repair bill meaning that it applies to all digital electronic devices unless there is an exemption. Section 1350.05(H) of the bill provides the following exemption:
“Nothing in this chapter applies to a manufacturer or dealer of farming or forestry equipment acting in that capacity, or to any product or service of a manufacturer or dealer of farming or forestry equipment acting in that capacity.”
The problem with this exemption is the omission of construction, lawn & garden and outdoor power equipment among others. That is why we are pushing for the New York exemption language which is more encompassing. You can find that language Here.
Call to Action: The Senate Financial Institutions and Technology Committee is small at only 5 members. We encourage you to send an email to all committee members requesting the adoption of our industry’s exemption language that recognizes our Industry Commitment to supporting customer self-repair, The Memorandum of Understanding between the major stakeholders in our industry on this issue, and the safety and environmental concerns raised by not having a comprehensive exemption for our industry.
Here are the five emails of committee members:
Hon. Niraj Antani
Hon. Steve Wilson
Hon. Robert Hackett
Hon. Stephanie Kunze
Hon. Kent Smith
For additional talking points, you can refer to our position statement submitted to the committee members.
We have been in contact with the Chairman’s staff about a future hearing for opponent testimony and will keep you informed of when that will be scheduled.