Texans will gain access to spare parts, tools and documentation needed to fix household electronics.
Texas became the eighth state to enact a law covering consumer elections, as Gov. Greg Abbott signed the Texas Right to Repair bill into law over the weekend.
Like similar Right to Repair legislation passed in other states, the Texas 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. The legislation covers personal electronics, but not appliances.
The legislation passed the state House 126-0 on May 9, then through the state Senate 31-0 on May 28. The two chambers concurred in a unified bill on June 1, sending the bill to the governor.
“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 overwhelming, bipartisan win, Texans can fix that.”
The legislation was supported by a group of local repair shops, TexPIRG, Environment Texas, the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), Repair.org and others.
“When Texans buy a product, they should truly own it, including the right to repair it,” said TPPF’s Greyson Gee in a press release. “HB 2963 restores the balance between manufacturer’s intellectual property rights and individual property rights and equips Texans with the tools and parts necessary to repair the property they own.”
The U.S. military should be able to repair its own equipment. Yet every year, billions of dollars are wasted by contractors restricting access to the parts, tools and info needed for basic repairs.
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