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From National Public Radio’s story on right to repair:
BERLINER: The industry as a whole has fought against political efforts to force changes on manufacturers through what are called right-to-repair bills. Tom Brandt is a farmer and state senator who introduced Nebraska’s right-to-repair bill.
TOM BRANDT: So let’s say you’ve got a couple hundred thousand dollars and you buy a bright, shiny new tractor. You only own the hardware. Today that software is still controlled by the original equipment manufacturer.
BERLINER: Nebraska’s bill would change that. It would unlock software and allow farmers and independent shops to make the same repairs as dealers. An industry group, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, tells NPR these kind of right-to-repair bills, they permit illegal tampering and create safety and environmental risks. And that’s why states have rejected such bills in the past. But those right-to-repair bills, they keep coming.
From the Omaha World Herald on the veto override to LB306:
LB 306 was passed over the governor’s veto on a 32-15 vote. The bill, introduced by Sen. Tom Brandt of Plymouth, will provide federally funded heating and cooling assistance to more Nebraskans.
It raises the income limit from 130% of the federal poverty level to 150% and requires that a larger share of the federal grant be used to help weatherize homes of low-income Nebraskans.
Brandt said the change will make better use of the state’s federal dollars. Currently, he said, the state has enough money left each year to give supplemental aid payments for previous recipients. Under the bill, that money will be used to help more people.
Streaming video provided by Nebraska Public Media