Colorado House Moves Repair Bill Forward
A week after Oregon’s House passed a right to repair bill, Colorado’s House did the same. How the fight for privacy and repair rights overlap. And: Europe’s anti monopoly law takes effect.
A week after the Oregon House of Representatives voted to adopt the nation’s most robust right to repair legislation, Colorado’s House of Representatives did the same.
In a bipartisan vote of 39 to 18, the House passed HB24-1121, sponsored by Representative Brianna Titone and Steven Woodrow, which would extend the current Colorado right to repair laws to cover electronic equipment, including cell phones, gaming systems, computers and televisions.
“Cell phones are a part of our daily lives, we should have more choices on how to fix them when they break,” said Rep. Brianna Titone (D-Arvada) in a statement. “This bill would give consumers the tools they need to fix their broken electronics, saving them money and time on costly repairs. Right to repair laws, like this one, are important for empowering consumers and keeping e-waste out of our landfills. From tractors to mobility devices, I’m proud to carry another consumer-focused right to repair law through the legislature and save Coloradans money.”
As with other state right to repair laws, HB24-1121 requires digital electronic equipment manufacturers like Amazon, Apple and Google to provide software and physical tools to consumers and independent repair providers to fix their broken electronics.
Like the recently passed Oregon bill, which is awaiting the signature of Governor Tina Kotek, the Colorado bill also prohibits parts pairing, in which manufacturers use digital locks to pair replaceable parts with specific devices, restricting the ability of consumers and independent repair shops to complete repairs without the manufacturer’s involvement.
This is just the latest right to repair bill to make its way through Colorado’s legislature, making the state a leader in promoting repair laws. In 2023, the state passed a first-in-the-nation law for the right to repair agricultural equipment. And, in 2022, Colorado became the first state in the nation to pass a non-automotive right to repair law when Representatives Titone and Ortiz passed two trailblazing right to repair laws specifically for wheelchair users that required wheelchair manufacturers to provide parts and software to consumers, eliminating the need for prior authorization to repair powered wheelchairs.
Other News
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Source: Current Affairs An interview with Peter Mui, the founder of Fixit Clinics from on the Bay Curious podcast is worth a listen.
