(The Center Square) — Maine lawmakers are moving quickly to override Gov Janet Mills’ objections to an auto industry-backed bill that makes changes to the state’s voter-approved right-to-repair law.
The state House of Representatives voted 96-44 on Tuesday to override Mill’s veto of “An Act to Clarify Certain Terms in and to Make Other Changes to the Automotive Right to Repair Laws,” narrowly clearing the two-thirds vote needed to override the governor’s opposition to the bill. The state Senate is expected to consider an override next week.
At issue is a ballot question approved by voters in the November 2023 elections, which allows auto owners and repair shops to access “telematics” data from vehicles. A costly ballot fight pitted the nation’s automakers against small repair shops backed by the retail parts industry. The law, approved by 84% of the voters, went into effect last year.
Lawmakers approved changes to the bill last year based on recommendations from the state’s Automotive Right to Repair Working Group aimed at improving the effectiveness of the law,
But MIlls vetoed the legislation last week, citing a “controversial” industry-backed provision that would allow automobile manufacturers to decide how vehicle telemetric data is made accessible for independent auto repair shops. The measure was among 60 bills left from the previous session, most of which Mills allowed to become law without her signature.
“Without timely access to vehicle data, independent auto shops are left at a significant competitive disadvantage, and consumers would have fewer choices for automotive service and repair,” Mills wrote.
Mills said she supports the working group’s recommendations but has heard from “hundreds” of independent repair shop owners who urged her to veto the bill. She urged lawmakers to approve a bill implementing the recommendations without the industry-backed provision.
“As enacted, LD 1228 is a finger on the scale in favor of auto manufacturers and against local businesses and the will of Maine voters, and I cannot support it,” she said.
Maine’s right-to-repair law requires automakers to make this telematic data “directly accessible” to the vehicle owner through a mobile-based application. The law also allows owners to authorize independent repair shops to access the data. It also allows vehicle owners and independent repair shops to sue if data access is denied.
Meanwhile, a coalition of automakers are making a last-ditch effort to block the new law’s requirements from being enforced. A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in February by Alliance for Automotive Innovation alleges that the new “data law” is unenforceable because it runs afoul of federal law and the Constitution. The outcome of the lawsuit is still pending.
