BETHESDA, Md. (Dec. 27, 2011)—The Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition has gained more than enough signatures to place a Right to Repair initiative on the state ballot in 2012.
The coalition said it received notification from the secretary of state's office confirming that 83,180 signatures have been approved from every region of the state, far more than the 68,000 signatures required.
The proposed law would require that car companies provide independent shops with access to their diagnostic software through a standardized vehicle interface.
If enacted, the Massachusetts ballot measure will permit all independent shops to obtain affordable access to the latest non-proprietary automobile diagnostic and repair information that is currently available to the manufacturers' dealers and their new car dealerships, according to the AAIA and Coalition for Auto Repair Equality.
The Right to Repair Act was introduced in Massachusetts for the 2011-12 legislative session by Rep. Garrett Bradley, D-Hingham, and Sen. John Hart, D-South Boston, and has more than 60 co-sponsors.
The legislature is expected to hold a committee hearing on the ballot petition in February and has until May 1 to act, whereby they can preclude the need for a ballot measure by enacting the Right to Repair Act.