California just became the third state to pass a right to repair electronics law. Senate Bill 244 Passed 50-0 in the California State Assembly on September 12. The bill also passed the California Senate in May with a vote of 38 to 0. The bill now heads to a final concurrent vote in the Senate before moving to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk.
California now follows in the footsteps of Minnesota and New York. Both states passed similar right-to-repair legislation last year. However, the California bill stands out because it requires companies to expand access to repair materials such as parts, tools, documentation and software over a longer period of time. The bill provides for three years for products costing between $50 and $99.99 and seven years for products priced at $100 or more. The bill will cover electronics and appliances manufactured and sold after July 1, 2021.
While the California bill is not the first, is It is significant that this is happening in California. Not only is it where most of the big tech companies are based, but California is also one of the most densely populated states in the U.S. Whatever legislative trends start in California, they tend to proliferate across the country. .
“Accessible, affordable and widely available repair benefits everyone,” said Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit, in a statement. iFixit, known for its right-to-repair advocacy and device teardown, also co-sponsored SB 244. “We are especially excited to see this bill pass in the state where iFixit is headquartered, which is also the state of large technology companies. courtyard. Since Right to Repair can happen here, expect it to be on its way to a backyard near you.”
“While manufacturers have spent many years frustrating repair technicians and opposing right-to-repair legislation, fortunately many, especially Apple, have changed their minds,” said Nathan Proctor, senior director of the right-to-repair campaign. right to repair of the Public Interest Research Group, in a statement. “That’s good news, because as important as this legislation is, we have more to do if we want a more sustainable relationship with the electronic devices that power our modern lives.”
That being said, it’s not over until everything is written in ink. New York’s right-to-repair bill, for example, deeply disappointed activists after it was significantly weakened by last-minute amendments that granted convenient loopholes to manufacturers.
All three right-to-repair bills are expected to be implemented in 2024: New York’s in January, followed by Minnesota and California in July.
