Right to Repair: Your Device, Your Choice, Your Technician

What it does

This bill requires manufacturers of digital devices (phones, laptops, appliances, etc.) to sell repair parts, tools, and documentation to independent repair shops and device owners at fair prices—the same terms offered to authorized dealers. It bans manufacturers from using software locks or artificial degradation to force repairs through official channels. The FTC and state attorneys general enforce the rule.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a positive right—requiring manufacturers to supply repair materials on fair terms—paired with prohibitions on anti-repair practices. It is fundamentally a consumer protection and property-rights measure, not a deregulation or subsidy.

What the text implies

• Manufacturers may respond by raising baseline device prices or reducing warranty coverage to offset lost repair-monopoly revenue, shifting costs to all buyers rather than just those seeking repairs.
• The 'fair and reasonable terms' standard is defined by reference to OEM-authorized-provider pricing, creating a potential loophole: if OEMs raise authorized-provider prices across the board, independent providers must be offered the same inflated rate.
• Liability shield in Section 5 may insulate manufacturers from responsibility for data breaches or security failures introduced during third-party repairs, creating a moral hazard if independent repair quality is poor.
• Medical devices and motor vehicles are explicitly carved out, leaving consumers of those high-value, frequently-repaired products without right-to-repair protection despite identical repair-lock practices.
• The 60-day effective date is tight; manufacturers may accelerate anti-repair software updates or parts-pairing schemes before the law takes effect, creating a compliance-evasion window.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Ordinary people gain the right to repair devices they own or lease without manufacturer coercion, lowering repair costs and extending device life. Manufacturers lose the ability to lock consumers into expensive authorized repair monopolies, but retain trade-secret protection and liability shields for third-party repairs.

Who stands to gain

• independent repair shops and technicians
• device owners (lower repair costs, extended device lifespan)
• refurbished device markets and secondary repair ecosystems

Named in the bill

Federal Trade Commission (FTC), State attorneys general, Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Independent repair providers, Authorized repair providers, Digital electronic equipment manufacturers

Where it stands

2 cosponsors: 2 Democrats.

• Feb 5, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Feb 5, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

2 lobbying clients named this bill on 2 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $580,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 26 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 41% of bills with at least one filing.

Joseph Morelle, the sponsor, reported $934,875 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Semi — $470,000 on 1 filing
• Associated Equipment Distributors — $110,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.