STATEHOUSE (Jan. 23, 2024) – State Rep. Robb Greene (R-Shelbyville) is working to yield results for Hoosier farmers this legislative session by plowing through certain requirements that agriculture equipment only be serviced and repaired by manufacturers.
Greene, a member of the House Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, authored House Bill 1155 to require manufacturers in Indiana, like John Deere, to provide agriculture equipment owners and independent service providers the same service manuals and other materials used by official service providers, and the ability to purchase parts and tools needed for repairs. This would include software, hardware and technical equipment needed to run diagnostics and perform maintenance.
"The integration of software into more and more products has led some manufacturers to copy the business practices of Big Tech," Greene said. "A $1 million combine is not a SaaS product, like Salesforce or Dropbox, nor a means of monthly recurring revenue. It's the farmers property, hard stop. The issue at the heart of right to repair is ownership. When a manufacturer prevents a farmer from accessing any component of their property, that is not ownership, that is serfdom."
Currently, manufacturers can require any repairs to their farming equipment be done through them, which can lead to higher repair costs and longer wait times for farmers. Proprietary software can also block owners from accessing or altering their equipment's systems.
If HB1155 passes into law, the Indiana Attorney General could take action against those found in violation of the policy. Violators would also be subject to penalties applied to a deceptive consumer sales practice.
The bill has been assigned to the House Agricultural Committee. To watch livestreams of committee hearings and learn more about proposed legislation, visit iga.in.gov.
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State Rep. Robb Greene (R-Shelbyville) represents House District 47,
which includes portions of Johnson and Shelby counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
