With Senate vote, Right to Repair moves forward in Massachusetts

A slimmed-down version of an electronics right to repair bill passed the state senate in Massachusetts on Thursday, part of a larger economic development bill.

A slimmed-down version of an electronics right to repair bill passed the state senate in Massachusetts on Thursday, part of a larger economic development bill. It is the latest success for right to repair advocates, who last month saw New York’s legislature pass a broad electronics right to repair bill.

The Massachusetts Senate approved a Right to Repair amendment last night as part of a package of amendments to a larger economic development package. The fate of the amendment now rests in negotiations between the Massachusetts House and Senate over the scope of a final, compromise bill that would be voted on by both chambers.

The amendment, #471, would create a legal right to repair “portable wireless devices” in Massachusetts. Portable wireless devices are defined in the amendment as “a product which includes a battery, microphone, speaker and display designed to send and receive transmissions through a cellular radiotelephone service.”

The amendment represents a compromise by right to repair supporters, who had been pushing broader right to repair legislation in both the State Senate and House of Representatives that would cover a broader range of electronic devices.