[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 112 (Friday, August 3, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1533]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                MOTOR VEHICLE OWNERS RIGHT TO REPAIR ACT

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                            HON. JOE BARTON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 2, 2001

  Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Motor 
Vehicle Owners Right to Repair Act. As the name implies, this bill will 
preserve a vehicle owners' freedom to choose where, how and by whom to 
repair their vehicles as well as their choice in car parts.
  Right now, thousands of vehicle owners who are being turned away from 
their local repair facility. They are being denied the choice of 
working on their own vehicles, or the choice of replacement parts 
because information necessary to make these repairs or integrate 
replacement parts with the vehicle computer system is not readily 
available or not available at all. This isn't the way it used to be. 
Until recently, this information was either not necessary or widely 
available. But language in the 1990 Clean Air Act mandated that vehicle 
manufacturers install computer systems in vehicles 1994 and newer to 
monitor emissions. This law had the unintended consequence of making 
the vehicle manufacturer the gatekeeper on who can repair, or produce, 
replacement parts for the vehicle.
  This lack of consumer choice will have a huge negative economic 
impact. An economic study examining this lack of choice's effect on 
California vehicle owners concluded that motorist repair bills in 
California alone would increase by 17 billion through 2008. Nation-wide 
this would equate to a huge tax increase on the American people and 
severely hurt low and fixed income motorists.
  I believe that most vehicle owners who have for years taken for 
granted that any qualified repair technician of their choice, including 
themselves, may repair their vehicle have relied heavily on the 
quality, cost and convenience of the competitive independent 
aftermarket parts will be surprised to find that in many cases it no 
longer exists.
  With this legislation, we put the motor vehicle owner back in the 
driver's seat.

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