A new bipartisan House bill that would require medical OEMs to make parts, tools, and repair manuals available to powered wheelchair owners and independent repairers is on its way to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.
Proponents of the measure, which passed the legislature, say it is the nation’s first nonvehicular right-to-repair bill. Voters in Massachusetts passed an automotive right-to-repair law in 2013, which manufacturers later decided to use as the national standard.
“We hope this can, similar to the Massachusetts vehicle right-to-repair law, become the law of the land for everybody and benefit all wheelchair users across the country,” said Danny Katz, executive director of the Colorado Public Interest Research Group.
The bill had bipartisan support. The bill was sponsored by Rep. David Ortiz, a Littleton Democrat who uses a wheelchair. Its other prime sponsors were Jefferson County Democrats Rep. Brianna Titone and Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, as well as Sen. John Cooke, R-Greeley.
Read the full article at The Colorado Sun.
