Montana, and Every Other State Agree On This One Thing

It seems like it's a rare event these days when there are a lot of people that can agree on one particular topic. But it does happen, and when it does, people should take notice.

According to GoodNewsNetwork.org, every state in the union has introduced some sort of law for consideration allowing people to fix and repair their own equipment. Not every state has submitted the exact same bill, but all have said that people have a right to fix things.

A friend of mine recently said that they would never purchase an Apple product because when they first released the Mac computer it would void the warranty if a person tried to fix the computer themselves. Apple has changed its policy on some of its products, letting consumers fix them themselves.

The John Deere company is another one that changed their policy back in 2023 to allow farmers to purchase equipment and manuals to fix their own machinery, according to Marketplace.org.

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Now it looks like lawmakers across the country are coming together to allow consumers to fix products themselves. In Montana, HB 390 has been introduced by Representative Paul Tuss to allow farmers to fix their equipment. The bill is titled, "Montana Agricultural Equipment Repair Bill of Rights Act". It aims to allow farmers to be able to fix their own equipment.

The bill reads in part:

It establishes obligations for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to provide documentation, parts, and tools necessary for repairs on fair and reasonable terms.

The 'Right to Repair' movement has been going on for years for different products from electronics to cars and tractors. There are enough companies that haven't changed their policies yet to warrant legislation being proposed in every state to allow the consumer to fix products themselves.

There have been a few things that I have been able to tinker with and fix myself over the years. But in general I know when I am over my head in my abilities, which is most of the time. Just because people will have the right to fix things themselves in the future doesn't mean that they all should. Myself included.