DENVER — Sitting in front of a hulking red tractor, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill Tuesday making Colorado the first state to ensure farmers can fix their own tractors and combines with a "right to repair" law — which compels manufacturers to provide the necessary manuals, tools, parts and software.
"Farmers have had to wait three or four weeks to get repairs done to equipment when they can do repairs themselves. That's just unfathomable," said Bill Midcap, whose son is a fifth-generation rancher on Colorado's eastern plains. The legislation advanced through long committee hearings, having been propelled forward mostly by Democrats even though a Republican lawmaker co-sponsored the bill. The proposal left some GOP lawmakers stuck between their farming constituents pleading for the ability to repair their equipment and the manufacturers who vehemently opposed it.
"Forcing a business to disclose trade secrets, software and jeopardize consumer safety is poor public policy," said Republican state Rep. Matt Soper, adding that it will stifle tech innovation. The law falls into the broader "right to repair" campaign, which has picked up steam across the country and applies to a range of products, from
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