COLORADO, USA — An effort to give Colorado farmers access to the resources needed to repair their own agricultural equipment passed its final legislative vote on Thursday.
Modern agricultural equipment often runs on advanced computer software, and, currently, some manufacturers prohibit access to these systems or do not provide information on how they work. House Bill 1011 would require manufacturers to sell tools, parts and digital access to farmers and independent repair shops to diagnose and fix problems with equipment, beginning in 2024.
The Senate approved the bill on Thursday, following the House's passage last month.
“A broken tractor or combine during harvest season can be devastating, and makes an already difficult job that much harder," said bill sponsor Sen. Janice Marchman, D-Loveland. "Farmers should be able to apply know-how and elbow grease to fix their own equipment instead of being forced to use an authorized dealer."
Senators voted, 25-8, in support of the bill. All Democrats voted "yes," while Republicans were split with three in support, eight in opposition and one excused. In the House, the bill passed 44-17, with all but one Democrat in support and all but two Republicans in opposition.
>Video above from previous coverage
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS
9NEWS+ has multiple live daily shows including 9NEWS Mornings, Next with Kyle Clark and 9NEWS+ Daily, an original streaming program. 9NEWS+ is where you can watch live breaking news, weather updates, and press conferences. You can also replay recent newscasts and find videos on demand of our top stories, local politics, investigations and Colorado specific features.
To download 9NEWS+ on Roku search for KUSA.
To download 9NEWS+ on Fire TV search for 9NEWS.