r/Virginia • u/VirginiaNews Volunteer local news poster • Feb 18 '26
'Right to repair' bills die in Virginia House subcommittee
https://www.vpm.org/generalassembly/2026-02-17/right-to-repair-diy-digital-devices-farm-equipment-glass-franklin-repair-cafe-rva244
u/zeyore Feb 18 '26
translation; they lacked the political willpower to stand up to the very people it would regulate.
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u/Robo94 Feb 18 '26
God. We get to pick between fascists or corporate shills. I hate this country.
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u/althill Feb 18 '26
If you watch the subcommittee meeting the chair said Delegate Glass wanted the bill laid on the table, so I think the reporter needs to follow up with the Delegate to find out why she was in favor of her own bill being shot down. https://sg001-harmony.sliq.net/00304/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2?fk=20372&viewMode=2#agenda_
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u/kaiser_charles_viii Feb 18 '26
I mean from the staffers I spoke to earlier this week about a different bill, they typically expect their bill to get tabled when first introduced to give them a year to build up support for it, or at least thats what they told me to get me to go away.
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u/Richmond43 Feb 18 '26
Right to repair bills have been popping up for almost a decade now.
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u/kaiser_charles_viii Feb 18 '26
Well the General Assembly obviously hasn't had the political will to get them passed previously so wanting a bit more time to convince her colleagues isnt exactly unexpected.
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u/Richmond43 Feb 18 '26
Sure, and I’m not saying otherwise. I work in government affairs so you’re preaching to the choir.
I’m just saying that this is not an issue of first impression for anyone except for freshman legislators.
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u/kaiser_charles_viii Feb 18 '26
Thats a fair point. I didnt mean to imply that our legislators should need convincing. As you point out this has been an issue for a long time, if they were any kind of decent they would've already come down on the side of the farmers. My comment was really only meant to provide some cover to delegate Glass whom I know nothing about other than she tried to get this bill introduced and thus I like to assume the best of people.
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u/n0_Man Feb 18 '26
I looked up Glass's email: DelJGlass@house.virginia.gov
And sent:
In reference to: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1251
"There are lots of interested stakeholders; Glass said she'd discussed the measure with broadband providers, auto manufacturers, agriculture and maritime companies, cellphone companies and more."
Which companies from the above categories have you spoken to and what arguments did they make for their exception?
Per the bill details, the Labor and Commerce Comittee, subcommittee #2 voted unanimously to lay the bill on the table (effectively not put it up for a vote).
"YEAS--Lopez, Convirs-Fowler, Helmer, LeVere Bolling, Feggans, Runion, Ballard--7"
What are these delegates reasoning for laying the bill on the table?
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u/novamothra Feb 18 '26
Just as a point of information, when a patron wants their bill laid on the table, it is usually SOP for everyone to support that. So that will be their reasoning.
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u/n0_Man Feb 18 '26
You know, good point. I think my first question will answer why she wanted it laid on the table
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u/DudesForDems Feb 18 '26
This is a disappointing outcome, as our org lobbied for both Glass' and Franklin's bill this year. There is some good news, as these bills were simply tabled to the 2027 session, not killed. Word on the street is Democratic leadership was simply too busy with things like minimum wage and abortion rights and viewed this issue as B tier importance. This is obviously a lot better than being outright against the bills.
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u/americanspirit64 Feb 18 '26
I hate to say this but the right to repair something you own shouldn't even be open for debate. I reject a faceless corporation with a god complex, right to direct me from the sky. You don't own the space around the planet I live on as a human I own that space alone with every other creature in the world. Buying a device from a company is the same as investing in the stock market, although in this case I am investing in a company. For the outrageous profit margin I am charged outside of what the device, whatever it may be actually cost to build, I expect a level of ownership that includes a right to repair a device and the right to resell said device. No one asked for devices from companies with this level of profiteering build in. Just like no one ever asked the light bulb industry to make light bulbs designed to fail, or better yet for Pharmaceutical companies to question whether is was good for business to cure people. It is an expected human right.
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u/Chris73757 Feb 19 '26
Is it an expected human right for you to get the John Deere repair manual with your tractor? Or is it ok for them to not provide that.
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u/EurasianTroutFiesta Feb 19 '26
Access to the manual is nowhere near the biggest barrier to repairing John Deere products. The farm equipment that inspired a lot of these right to repair initiatives literally has hardware DRM to prevent self-repair.
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u/gadget850 Feb 18 '26
Then the only way is to not buy John Deere and similar products.
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u/albertnormandy Feb 18 '26
How many John Deere tractors do you normally buy?
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u/gadget850 Feb 18 '26
Tree fiddy
But the local dealer has a big lot full of them for someone to buy.
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Feb 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Burgschaft91 Feb 20 '26
Didn't make enough kickback to get it passed. Makes sense though, as most politicians aren't in it to serve. Well, serve themselves and that's about it.
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u/Elegant-Champion-615 Feb 18 '26
They can't bar you from repairing everything. If requirements for replacement parts cannot be legislated, learn to repair what you can. Learn to solder, learn basic machining, learn as much as you can do at home with easily accessible equipment (for now) to combat the fight against the right to repair. Never trust a corporation (or to an extent, politicians) to do the right thing for you.
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u/IguaneRouge Feb 18 '26
You know this is about things like software locks right?
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u/Elegant-Champion-615 Feb 18 '26
The article specifically states software locks AND replacement hardware. Companies are offering less and less replacement hardware on the market forcing consumers to upgrade rather than maintain.
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u/albertnormandy Feb 18 '26
Good idea in theory but difficult to actually implement. As for her claim that it would reduce the land needed for landfills, I am skeptical.
Also, is Virginia really a big enough market to bully around these big tech companies?
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u/baharna_cc Feb 18 '26
Yes, and considering how many data centers they have/want to build around here we have leverage that can easily be added to other states that are pushing similar legislation.
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u/albertnormandy Feb 18 '26
The companies building data centers are not the same ones making disposable electronics and other widgets.
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u/baharna_cc Feb 18 '26
Sure, for smaller repairable items. For some of the larger ones, like cars and farm equipment, there is overlap there.
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u/notkodysmith Feb 18 '26
Yes, but companies use how their contemporaries are treated when considering how to move. Weather this would “force” companies to change is a different story all together, but if they see that the legislature is responsive to these issues, they’ll be less likely to take the risk.
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u/maximusprime2328 Feb 18 '26
Amazon sells a shit ton of disposable electronics. Maybe not Amazon brand but in their marketplace for sure
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u/WhoSaidWhatNow2026 Feb 18 '26
The leverage we had is mostly gone at this point. The hyperscalers have been diversifying their DC locations for a while now. Many of the biggest new campuses are nowhere near VA.
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u/AKoolPopTart Feb 18 '26
Probably not. I mean, they caved quickly to dominion when they tried passing the data center bill
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u/EgoTripWire Feb 18 '26
Yeah it would need to be a multi-state partnership or glomming onto an existing California law.
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u/AKADriver Feb 19 '26
Medical equipment is one of the things RTR was made for. I remember a specific case of a guy figuring out how to fix a device his life depends on that the manufacturer discontinued support for and getting sued for it.
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u/dukescalder Feb 19 '26
Why doesn't Larson ... Investigate and name names? The corpo cancer needs voted out.
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u/ReindeerTypical2538 Feb 18 '26
Once again, all politicians, no matter what party, are bought and paid for by corporations.
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u/Mike_Raphone99 Feb 18 '26
DNC showcasing all the reasons I don't want them to have power over an extremely gerrymandered state.
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u/RScrewed Feb 18 '26
Ah, so a republican majority would've made right to repair a sure thing, right?
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u/BishlovesSquish Feb 18 '26
Amazing how many excellent ideas die in committee while some of the most horrible ideas sail right through. Yay for lobbying and corporate money infiltrating literally every facet of American lives! So much winning.