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Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia Bill SB 97 Requires Equipment Manufacturers to Provide Repair Tools and Parts
Last action · February 19, 2026: To JudiciarySponsor: Bill Hamilton
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What This Bill Proposed
Equipment manufacturers in West Virginia must make repair documentation, parts, and tools available to independent repair providers and equipment owners upon the expiration of the new equipment warranty, effective July 1, 2026, through July 1, 2029.
Farmers and independent mechanics gain legal access to proprietary software updates, diagnostic tools, and replacement components previously restricted to authorized dealerships, lowering potential maintenance expenses.
- Right-to-repair laws seek to ensure that consumers and independent mechanics have access to the diagnostic tools, manuals, and parts necessary to fix electronic and mechanical equipment without relying exclusively on authorized dealerships. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Equipment manufacturers
Must supply diagnostic documentation, parts, and tools to independent providers and owners after warranties expire.
Independent repair providers
Gains legal access to manufacturer tools, parts, and documentation for equipment repair.
Farmers and ranchers
Can obtain repair parts, tools, and documentation directly to service their own equipment.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is covered under the Equipment Right to Repair Act?
Does the bill force manufacturers to share trade secrets?
What penalties exist for violating the repair rules?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in Senate committee.
Procedural history
6 actions- Feb 19, 2026SenateCommitteeTo Judiciary
- Feb 19, 2026SenateCommitteeReported do pass, but first to Judiciary
- Jan 14, 2026SenateCommitteeTo Agriculture
- Jan 14, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced in Senate
- Jan 14, 2026SenateCommitteeTo Agriculture then Judiciary
- Jan 14, 2026SenateIntroducedFiled for introduction
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Introduction of Mandated Equipment Repair Access
The bill introduces statutory requirements compelling equipment manufacturers to share proprietary tools and software documentation with independent entities and owners.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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