Congressional Support for 'Right to Repair' Grows

Reps. Filner and Welch Become Co-Sponsors of H.R. 2694

BETHESDA, Md., April 4, 2008-- The Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act (H.R. 2694) gained two more co-sponsors in recent days. The new legislators supporting Right to Repair are Reps. Bob Filner (D-CA) and Peter Welch (D-VT).

"We want to thank Reps. Filner and Welch for their support of this vital piece of legislation and their commitment to ensuring that car owners and their trusted repair shops have the same access to safety alerts and repair information as the franchised new car dealer network," said Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA).

Vehicles are becoming increasingly sophisticated with virtually every system either monitored or controlled by computers. Servicing these vehicle systems to keep them in safe working condition requires ready access to complete and accurate information from the car companies.

"The fact is that with nearly 225 million vehicles in the United States and only 21,640 car dealerships, there aren't enough new car dealerships in all the right places to keep every motor vehicle serviced, repaired and operating safely," continued Schmatz. "Right to Repair ensures that car owners can continue to enjoy the convenience and affordability of having their vehicle serviced at the repair shop of their choice whether it's their neighborhood repair shop or a franchised dealership."

A complete list of co-sponsors and a copy of the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act (HR 2694) can be found by visiting www.righttorepair.org.

About Right to Repair:

The Right to Repair Act, which was introduced by Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), would require car companies to make the same service information and tools capabilities available to independent repair shops that they provide their to their franchised dealer networks. The legislation further provides car companies with strong protections for their trade secrets unless that information is provided to the franchised new car dealers. The bill clarifies the responsibilities of the Federal Trade Commission in enforcing the bill's requirements. For more information about the Right to Repair Act, visit www.righttorepair.org.