Conklin: right-to-repair ‘protects consumers’

Three states recently enacted right to repair laws

Rep. Scott Conklin    March 26, 2024 | 12:50 PM

HARRISBURG, March 27 – Following the House Commerce Committee’s informational meeting this week, Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Centre, said that right-to-repair laws would protect consumers, as well as support small businesses that repair products at much lower costs for consumers.

The hearing heard from stakeholders about how right-to-repair laws would impact the agriculture, medical and technical industries, focusing specifically on modifying, tampering and repairing devices.

“As chair of the House Commerce Committee, I’m working to protect consumers first and foremost,” Conklin said. “With inflation, the cost of phones continues to increase, creating financial strains on consumers.

“Recently, I purchased a new phone – which cost me more than a thousand dollars – as the manufacturer refused to repair the charging port in my old one. Now, phones are a necessity, and especially so for residents in rural Pennsylvania. We cannot wait for manufacturers to take a long time to repair consumers’ devices at exponentially high costs.

“With right-to-repair laws, we would ensure manufacturers provide consumers with the necessary tools to repair their devices, support businesses that will repair devices at a lower cost than the manufacturers, and prevent electronic waste – which comprised 53.6 million tons of waste produced in 2019 – by ensuring the sustainability of our electronic devices. By doing so, we prevent monopolies from taking over the economy, allowing small businesses to thrive in our commonwealth.”

He noted that California, Minnesota and New York recently enacted right-to-repair laws, and President Joe Biden also supported enacting right-to-repair laws.

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