Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana

'Right to Repair' Bill Heard

The third attempt at giving Montana farmers and ranchers the right to repair their agricultural equipment outside of dealerships hit the House Business and Labor Committee last week.

Proponents of House Bill 390 said when manufacturers require that certain repairs only be made by dealers, they leave farmers and ranchers with too few options. But the bill also drew criticism for overstepping in what opponents said could be an easy private-sector solution.

Retired Army Colonel Richard Liebert is a cattle rancher and president of the Montana Cattlemen Association. He drew comparisons from his military career to support the bill, emphasizing “operational readiness.”

“You’ve got to keep everything in the fight as much as possible, every way possible,” Liebert said. “More technicians, more opportunities. All problems come down to resources, time and people.”

Eric Wareham, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for the North American Equipment Dealers Association, spoke against the bill.

“It’s a blunt instrument, and it has a lot of unintended consequences,” Wareham said. “So we greatly prefer a private sector solution that will not have those unintended consequences on a dealer’s business model.”

Wareham recommended the use of Memorandums of Understanding, formal agreements that are not legally binding.

HB 390 is carried by Rep. Paul Tuss, D-Havre. The committee did not take immediate action on the bill.

 
 

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