RELEASE: Right to Repair passes overwhelmingly in Texas

If legislation is signed into law, Texas consumers will be able to get the parts, tools and manuals needed to repair their devices

AUSTIN, Texas — On Sunday, the Texas state Legislature finalized a new Right to Repair bill, reconciling the House and Senate versions, and sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott to be signed into law. On Wednesday, the state Senate passed the measure 31-0, which had passed the state House 126-0 earlier in May. Like similar Right to Repair legislation passed in other states, the Texas Right to Repair bill, HB 2963, sponsored by state Rep. Gio Capriglione, requires manufacturers to make spare parts, manuals and repair tools available to consumers and independent shops.

“When you can’t fix something, you either have to buy a new one or do without. It drives up waste and costs. People are tired of throwing away things they prefer to fix, and clearly this is a message that has gotten through to lawmakers,” said Nathan Proctor, PIRG’s Senior Right to Repair Campaign Director. “Congratulations to Rep. Capriglione for his excellent work standing up for the rights of product owners, and the small repair shops all across Texas. This is a Texas-sized win.” 

Manufacturers used to make repair materials widely available, but over recent years have increasingly withheld what people need to conduct repairs, forcing consumers back to their authorized service centers. This reform will remove an important barrier to repair for both consumers and independent repair providers.

“More repair means less waste. Texas produces some 621,000 tons of electronic waste per year, which creates an expensive and toxic mess,” said Luke Metzger, Executive Director of Environment Texas, which supported the legislation. “Now, thanks to this bipartisan win, Texans can fix that.”

The legislation was actually strengthened in its final stages, adding in new protections around “parts pairing,” similar to those that were recently passed in Oregon, though those additions were removed in the conference committee. 

“When Texans buy a product, they should truly own it, which means having the right to repair it,” said Greyson Gee, Technology Policy Analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “For as long as humans have been making things, we have been repairing them. Repair has always been understood as a fundamental component of ownership. HB 2963 helps restore this basic principle which has been gradually eroded by restrictions designed to force consumers into expensive replacement cycles.”

If signed, Texas will be the ninth state to enact some version of Right to Repair, and the seventh to pass a law covering consumer electronics. In addition to progress in Texas, Connecticut and Oregon sent Right to Repair legislation to their governors in the last week. The measure in Connecticut mirrors California legislation passed two years ago, and the Oregon bill covers powered wheelchairs. 

“Texas has affirmed that Right to Repair is both practical and popular everywhere,” added Gay Gordon-Byrne, Executive Director of Repair.org, the coalition that supports Right to Repair. “We have repair protections in place for roughly a third of the nation — and growing. We won’t stop until everyone, everywhere, can fix all their stuff.”