Washington’s Right to Repair bill is gaining steam

Right to Repair has seen a lot of action in the Washington legislature over the past week, receiving public hearings in both the House Technology, Economic Development and Veterans committee last Friday, January 31, and in the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology committee on February 5. 

Passing Right to Repair would divert devices from the landfill and prevent electronic waste, save Washington households money, and help independent repair shops service customers who just want to be able to fix their devices. A similar measure was approved by the Washington House of Representatives in 2023, and is now law in the neighboring state of Oregon.

At both hearings, in addition to PIRG staff, legislators heard arguments in favor of the Right to Repair from a full coalition of environmental advocates, cybersecurity and repair experts, a local nonprofit e-waste recycler and refurbisher, representatives from Google and the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), and high school and college students who advocated for greater access to affordable, secondhand technology for those who need it most for their education.

Support for the Right to Repair in Washington is not just palpable but quantifiable: outside of testifiers, 514 people signed-in in favor of the bill for the House committee with only 2 signing-in as “con.” In the Senate hearing, a whopping 814 people signed-in pro for the bill, with just 2 “cons” and 1 “other.” 

If passed out of committee, the Right to Repair bill (sponsored by Representative Gregerson and Senator Stanford) would require manufacturers to provide the parts, tools, and information needed to repair digital electronic devices, including appliances.

You can watch a recording of the House hearing here and the Senate hearing here. You can read a copy of Kathryn Horvath from WashPIRG’s testimony here.