Gov. Janet Mills (D) announced Wednesday that she will be allowing nearly all remaining bills enacted by the Legislature during the previous session to become law, vetoing only an automotive right to repair bill.
Designed to implement recommendations from the Automotive Right to Repair Working Group, the vetoed LD 1228 aimed to clarify and improve the effectiveness of a law approved by voters at the ballot box in 2023.
Under the citizens’ initiative, vehicle manufacturers were required to standardize on-board diagnostic systems, as well as allow both owners and non-dealership repair facilities remote access to these systems and mechanical data.
[RELATED: Mainers Resoundingly Support Automotive “Right to Repair” in Tuesday’s Election]
In her veto letter articulating the reasoning behind her rejection of the bill, Gov. Mills drew attention to the inclusion of what she characterized as a “controversial provision” allowing vehicle manufacturers a greater degree of control over how they would make telemetric data available to unauthorized repairers.
Mills expressly notes her support of the working group’s recommendations but that this measure was not originally among them, instead being added later “at the urging of automobile manufacturers.”
She then goes on to explain that she feels this bill runs contrary to the intentions of the automotive right to repair laws already on the books, favoring manufacturers over independent repairers.
“With this provision included, LD 1228 would undermine the existing law overwhelmingly approved by Maine voters and harm independent repair shops across the state,” Mills wrote in her official veto letter. “As enacted, LD 1228 is a finger on the scale in favor of auto manufacturers and against local businesses and the will of Maine voters, and I cannot support it.”
At the close of her letter, Mills urges lawmakers to approve LD 292, a bill currently pending before the Legislature that would enact the working group’s recommendations for improving the automotive right to repair law.
Carried over from the prior legislative session, this bipartsan bill was sponsored by Rep. Amanda N. Collamore (R-Pittsfield) and Rep. Tiffany Roberts (D-South Berwick).
Lawmakers will now have the opportunity to either sustain or override the governor’s veto of LD 1228. A veto can only be overridden by the Legislature if two-thirds of both chambers vote to do so.
[RELATED: Auto-makers Sue Maine AG Aaron Frey Over Enforcement of “Right to Repair” Law]
Nearly a year ago, a group of automotive manufacturers filed a lawsuit against Maine’s Attorney General Aaron Frey in an effort to stop enforcement of the right to repair law as approved by voters in 2023.
The complaint alleged that enforcement of the law would violate the Constitution’s Due Process Clause, as well as the Supremacy Clause. It is also argued that the law is currently unenforceable due to alleged violations of the Maine Administrative Procedures Act (APA) by Attorney General Frey.
There do not appear to have been any major updates or rulings in this case in the intervening months, as publicly available documentation indicates that the case is still pending before the U.S. District Court.
[RELATED: “Right to Repair” Electronic Devices Considered by Augusta Lawmakers]
Earlier this week in Augusta, lawmakers heard public testimony on another piece of legislation that would expand the right to repair movement in Maine to also encompass electronic devices like laptops and cell phones.
LD 1908, a bipartisan bill presented by Sen. Mike Tipping (D-Penobscot), would establish an electronic “right to repair” law in the state, requiring that original equipment manufacturers make it possible for individuals and unauthorized repair shops to fix their products.
In speaking before committee members Tuesday, Sen. Tipping highlighted the bipartisan nature of the bill, as well as the handful of exemptions included in the legislation for items like gaming consoles and medical equipment.
As noted by Tipping, this builds upon the work done by lawmakers during a previous legislative session on the “right to repair” issue, incorporating the exceptions agreed upon in 2024.
No action has been taken yet with respect to this proposed legislation, but lawmakers can be expected to schedule a work session for the bill at some point in the near future.
