Dear John,

Exciting news! One of our top priority bills for the 2024 legislative session is heading to a vote in the Senate next Tuesday (Feb. 20)! This is the first of our priority bills to head to a vote and we want to make sure it sails through the Senate. Will you urge your Senator to vote YES on the Right to Repair Act (SB 1596)? 

Once upon a time not that long ago, when you bought a product it came with a manual, it was relatively easy to repair, and its parts were widely available. Not so much anymore. Manufacturers of electronics and appliances too often require consumers to go back to the manufacturer or their “authorized service providers.” These legal, digital and physical barriers make it all but impossible for the owner of the product to repair their own stuff.

To solve those problems, the Right to Repair Act would require manufacturing companies to make the diagnostic tools, information, replacement parts and tools available to consumers and third party repair shops, so Oregonians can more easily and affordably fix our stuff––similar to how we repair our cars. 

Passing the Right to Repair Act Will: 

• Save Families Money: Being able to fix phones, computers, and appliances instead of buying new would save the average Oregon household $382 per year. That adds up to $649 million in savings across all Oregon households.
• Reduce E-Waste: Partly because repair and reuse is so difficult, Oregonians dispose of an estimated 4,800 cell phones every day. E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world, and it adds toxic heavy metals like lead, mercury, and cadmium into our landfills. With more repair, these materials will remain in use instead of filling up landfills, be more useful for recyclers, and reduce the burden of new source material, manufacturing, and transportation of new devices.
• Cut Pollution: Since 85% of the energy and climate impact associated with a smartphone comes from manufacturing, it’s estimated that if every Oregonian extended the life of their phone by just one year, it would be the equivalent of removing 8,100 cars off the road in terms of climate emission.

For all of these reasons please ask your Senator to vote YES on the Right to Repair Act!

Thank you,

Julia DeGraw

Coalition Director, OLCV