The Washington state House Committee on Technology & Economic Development is scheduled Tuesday January 9, 2018 at 10am to hear HB 2279 concerning the fair servicing and repair of digital electronic products – watch live TVW video of the hearing.
HB 2279, the Fair Repair bill, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Morris (Bellingham), chair of the House Committee on Technology & Economic Development, is a "right to repair" bill. The bill would prevent waste and increase manufacturers' responsibility for the full life cycle of their products, goals shared by the concept of product stewardship. HB 2279 is supported by the Repair Association, which has introduced similar legislation in 12 other states and has the support of farm groups, non-profit and for-profit recyclers, small business groups, charities, fix-it clinics, appliance repair shops, and locksmiths.
HB 2279 would require manufacturers to make available to independent repair shops and product owners service documentation, diagnostics, tools, access to parts, and firmware. This would "broaden access to the information and tools necessary for repair of digital electronic products, thereby reducing unnecessary early disposal of those products, increasing consumer control over their own devices, and supporting a competitive repair market and the increased availability of remanufactured or repaired advanced electronics to create lower cost entry points for consumers to own advanced electronics."