Tired of waiting for its state legislators to act, Massachusetts residents took up the petition pen with plans to force the Right to Repair question to become a ballot issue.
State Attorney General Martha Coakley certified the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act for a state-wide petition effort. Right to Repair supporters now have until Nov. 23 to obtain an estimated 70,000 approximately 3% of all registered voters in the state valid signatures. If successful, the measure would then appear on a 2012 state ballot.
Taking a page out of California’s legislative history, the Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition is leading the petition charge.
Right to Repair legislation has been bogged down in the state legislature for years. Last year, the state senate finally passed a Right to Repair bill, but the state House of Representatives has sat on the bill. While there is still hope the House will act positively, proponents claim 9 out of 10 citizens support Right to Repair and many are tired of the legislative stalling.