SALT LAKE CITY — Sen. Ron Winterton has heard from frustrated constituents in his eastern Utah district trying to get farm equipment repaired.
"I'm hoping to just help farmers and the trucking industry to be able to get over the hurdles that’s been tossed at them," Sen. Winterton, R-Roosevelt, told FOX 13 News on Wednesday. "It hampers them from doing business."
He's filed a "right to repair" bill. It would override some agreements that force people to take broken equipment to an authorized manufacturer. He said for some of his constituents, it's more expensive and they're waiting a long time to get something fixed. If they go to another mechanic, they risk voiding a warranty or can't get service from a dealer in the future.
"Not having equipment that will run, or they get out in the field and it stops on them and they’re put on a list and the mechanic will get to you when he gets to you," he said. "Now if you have too many of them especially in small rural areas, you might have one or two mechanics that can come to you and help you out that’s authorized to do those repairs. If you’re planting? You might miss your window to plant. If you’re harvesting now? That could put a crimp on your income."
On Wednesday, Sen. Winterton presented a concept of the bill to the Utah State Legislature's Interim Government Operations Committee. It was a big hit. Lawmakers wanted to see electronics like iPhones added to the list.
"I think this is a great concept and if you chose to expand it out I would be very, very supportive of that," said Rep. Stephanie Gricius, R-Eagle Mountain. "Let me know how I can help."
Sen. Jennifer Plumb, D-Salt Lake City, also offered her support.
"On a lot of levels, I would like to see us support this. I think Sen. Winterton is on to something important," she told the committee.
So far, Sen. Winterton said 29 states have either proposed or passed legislation enacting "right to repair" on various products. He said initially, he is in favor of targeting farm equipment and trucks before broadening it to other products.
The Utah Farm Bureau, a major agricultural organization in the state, said that it believes Sen. Winterton is well-intentioned with his legislation. However, the group said it has worked to secure memorandums of understanding with five major farm equipment manufacturers to broaden the ability to get equipment fixed quickly.
"We know the concern," said Spencer Gibbons, the CEO of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation. "My family is in the agricultural business and we are fixing equipment all the time."
He said his group would prefer to see the MOUs get under way before considering state regulation.
"It's expensive. It's highly technical, there's proprietary property, intellectual property they’re trying to protect. It’s a very complicated issue," Gibbons said. "But we’re confident these MOUs are going to work."
But members of the Government Operations Committee appeared excited by Sen. Winterton's bill.
"On one hand, I understand that being able to certify a repair technician as competent and qualified to service your product has a benefit," said committee co-chair Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City. "But how do we mitigate that with being leveraged into a hostage market where you cannot get necessary repairs in time-sensitive industries?"
