Right to Repair is an issue that has the power to change the tempo of the automotive aftermarket for generations to come. As a shop owner, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp-Pérez (D-Wash.) knows this, and so she’s taken that fight to Capitol Hill to champion for small business and consumer rights. Together with Rep. Neal Dunn (R-Fla.) and two other lawmakers, she introduced The REPAIR Act (H.R. 906): a bill that would require automakers to share the data, tools and instructions needed to repair their vehicles, giving access of that data to the consumer and the independent aftermarket nationwide.
In the video below, Rep. Gluesenkamp-Pérez discusses why customers need to have access to their vehicle information and how the aftermarket keeps owning a car more affordable for everyday consumers. To her, the “throw-away” mentality that OEMs seem to be pushing for their automobiles today (like so many other consumer products) destroys what she sees as the American ethos of wanting to be able to take care of and repair our possessions ourselves.
Of course, Rep. Gluesenkamp-Pérez isn’t just fighting for the automotive aftermarket in the halls of Congress. She’s championing for a slew of other small-business-owner issues. Having gone through the trials of owning her own independent repair shop, she offers her insights on what the industry needs to do to keep community automotive repair thriving. For instance, she touches on the need to change how shop classes operate and laments how much red tape businesses encounter when working with the government on Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. Watch the video below to get her whole perspective!
And finally, Rep. Gluesenkamp-Pérez is championing for a cultural change in how we view the trades. While she doesn’t believe the federal government is necessarily the best way to go about that, she notes that it can help by making grant funds available to potential trade school students. Watch the video below to find out more about her initiatives.
