Image credit: Suzanne Kantra/Techlicious generated by ChatGPT
Washington's right-to-repair law just turned one year old, and independent shops in the state say it's already paying off. The advocates who pushed it through are now taking the same fight to Congress.
Washington's Right to Repair Act, signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson in 2025, guarantees residents access to the tools, parts and repair information manufacturers had used intellectual-property claims to withhold. It came as two separate bills: one covering personal electronics like phones and laptops, the other covering mobility devices such as power wheelchairs.
Mitch Kramer, owner of the Seattle repair shop FiXCO, told Cascadia Daily News the law has already changed what he can offer customers. "The bill is great, it's a huge step," Kramer said. "Parts pairing is a major thing." Parts pairing is the practice of a manufacturer digitally linking a specific replacement part, like a battery or a screen, to one specific device, so a repair made with an otherwise-identical part triggers warnings or disables features unless the manufacturer's own software authorizes it. Washington's law restricts that practice for covered products.
In Washington, D.C., Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) has joined Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) in pushing the Fair Repair Act, a federal bill that would extend similar requirements to all 50 states. "We deserve the right to fix our own stuff, from laptops to tractors to washing machines," Gluesenkamp Perez said when the bill was introduced.
The U.S. PIRG Education Fund estimates that broader repair access could cut household spending on electronics and appliances by 21.6%, saving the average family about $382 a year and $49.6 billion nationally across all U.S. households.
In addition to Washington, New York, Minnesota, Colorado, and Oregon have enacted Right to Repair laws, and all 50 states have introduced legislation. The Fair Repair Act, which would cover all Americans, remains pending.
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