Dangerous "Right to Modify/Repair" approved by House committee
March 29, 2022 - The Missouri House Agriculture Policy Committee today voted 9-8 to advance HB 2402 (Hovis), the dangerous Right to Modify/Repair bill opposed by Associated Industries of Missouri (AIM).
The bill would:
Impose government price controls on parts and software purchases by owners of farm and construction equipment;
Require disclosure of trade secrets including software codes necessary to modify a piece of equipment and erase evidence of the modification;
Result in harm to secondary purchasers of previously modified equipment, including reduced value of the equipment and safety concerns;
Allow owners of equipment to bypass safety and emissions controls;
Make farm and construction equipment control software susceptible to attack by hackers; and,
Likely result in lawsuits against dealerships and manufacturers of farm machinery and construction machinery for damages caused by previous owners of such equipment that may have modified and reset the machines.
AIM thanks the 6 Republicans and 2 Democrats that voted our way, against advancing this dangerous bill from committee:
Chairman Don Rone (R), Reps. Jamie Burger (R), Kimberly-Ann Collins (D), Kurtis Gregory (R), Kent Haden (R), Willard Haley (R), Wes Rogers (D), Dean Van Schoiack (R).
Voting against AIM's position and supporting the bill were 6 Republicans and 3 Democrats:
Vice Chairman Rick Francis (R), Ranking Member Emily Weber (D - also filed an identical bill), Reps. Danny Busick (R), Chris Dinkins (R), Jeff Knight (R), Tracy McCreery (D and former handler of the bill), Greg Sharpe (R), Terry Thompson (R), Yolanda Young (D).
We will be watching for amendments that seek to add the language to other bills that are further in the legislative process. For more about the background of the issue and information regarding who is pushing this wrong-minded effort, please watch our short video: https://vimeo.com/678799340
We will continue to monitor the situation and post updates as necessary.