Session of 2025 HOUSE BILL No. 2288 By Committee on Transportation Requested by Tony Railsback on behalf of ABATE of Kansas, Inc. 2-5 AN ACT concerning motor vehicles; relating to motor vehicle repairs; creating the motor vehicle right to repair act. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas: Section 1. The provisions of sections 1 through 8, and amendments thereto, shall be known and may be cited as the motor vehicle right to repair act. Sec. 2. As used in this act: (a) "Act" means the motor vehicle right to repair act. (b) "Authorized repair facility" means a person or entity operating in Kansas that is affiliated, by contract or otherwise, with a motor vehicle dealer or manufacturer and is engaged in the diagnosis, service or repair of motor vehicles. (c) "Board" means the motor vehicle repairs board established in section 4, and amendments thereto. (d) "Commercial motor vehicle" means a motor vehicle designed or used in the transport of passengers or property, if: (1) The vehicle has a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 26,000 pounds; or (2) the vehicle is designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver. (e) "Immobilizer system" means an electronic device designed for the sole purpose of preventing the theft of a motor vehicle by preventing the motor vehicle from starting without the correct activation or authorization code. (f) "Independent repair facility" means a person or entity that is not affiliated, by contract or otherwise, with a motor vehicle dealer or manufacturer and is engaged in the diagnosis, service, maintenance or repair of motor vehicles. (g) "Manufacturer" means any person or entity that, in the ordinary course of business, is engaged in the business of manufacturing or assembling motor vehicles. (h) "Mechanical data" means any motor vehicle specific data, including telematics system data, generated by, stored in or transmitted by a motor vehicle and used in the diagnosis, repair or maintenance of a 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 HB 2288 2 motor vehicle. (i) "Motor vehicle" means any vehicle that is designed for transporting persons or property on a street or highway and is certified by the manufacturer under all applicable federal safety and emissions standards and requirements for distribution and sale in the United States. "Motor vehicle" does not include any farm tractor, farm trailer or implement of husbandry as those terms are defined in K.S.A. 8-126, and amendments thereto. (j) "Motor vehicle dealer" means any person or entity that, in the ordinary course of business, is engaged in the business of selling or leasing motor vehicles. (k) "Repair" means the examination, maintenance, servicing, adjustment, improvement, replacement, removal or installation of a part of a motor vehicle, including, but not limited to, body work and paint. (l) "Telematics system" means a system in a motor vehicle that collects information generated by the operation of the vehicle and transmits that information using wireless communications to a remote receiving point where the information is stored or used. Sec. 3. Access to mechanical data and motor vehicle on-board diagnostic systems of all motor vehicles, including commercial motor vehicles and motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds, shall be standardized and made accessible to motor vehicle owners and independent repair facilities. Such access to mechanical data and motor vehicle on-board diagnostic systems shall not require authorization by a manufacturer, directly or indirectly, unless such authorization is standardized across all makes and models of motor vehicles sold in Kansas and is administered by the board established in section 4, and amendments thereto. Sec. 4. (a) There is hereby established under the jurisdiction of the attorney general the motor vehicle repairs board. The board shall be composed of: (1) One member to represent manufacturers, appointed by the attorney general; (2) one member to represent aftermarket motor vehicle parts manufacturers, appointed by the attorney general; (3) one member to represent aftermarket motor vehicle parts distributors or retailers, appointed by the attorney general; (4) one member to represent independent repair facilities, appointed by the attorney general; and (5) one member to represent motor vehicle dealers, appointed by the attorney general. (b) The chairperson of the board shall be appointed by the attorney general, except that the chairperson shall not be a member that represents 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 HB 2288 3 manufacturers. All other members of the board shall serve at the pleasure of the attorney general. The board shall meet upon call of the chairperson. (c) The board shall be responsible for managing the secure access to mechanical data, including ensuring on an ongoing basis that access to motor vehicle on-board diagnostic systems and the standardized access platform that is described in section 6, and amendments thereto, is securely stored based on all applicable federal and international data storage standards. Other responsibilities of the board shall include: (1) Identifying and adopting relevant standards for implementation of the act; (2) monitoring and developing policies for the evolving use and availability of mechanical data; (3) creating policies for compliance with relevant laws, regulations, standards, technologies and best practices related to access to mechanical data; and (4) investigating suspected violations of the act. (d) If the board has reason to believe that a manufacturer has violated any provision of the act, the board shall refer the suspected violation to the office of the attorney general. The office of the attorney general shall promptly file any actions or proceedings for violations of the act in the district court of any county where an act or practice by a manufacturer, determined by the board and the office of the attorney general, was found to be a violation of the act. Sec. 5. (a) For model year 2002 vehicles, including commercial motor vehicles and vehicles having a gross weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds: (1) Manufacturers of motor vehicles sold in Kansas shall make available all diagnostic repair tools, parts, software and components for purchase by motor vehicle owners and independent repair facilities necessary for the repair of such vehicles. Such diagnostic repair tools, parts, software and components shall incorporate the same diagnostic, functional repair and remote communication capabilities that the manufacturer makes available to the manufacturer's authorized repair facilities and be made available at comparable costs and terms charged to new motor vehicle dealers and authorized repair facilities. (2) Manufacturers shall be required to do the following: (A) Provide diagnostic repair information to each aftermarket motor vehicle scan tool company and each third-party service information provider that the manufacturer has licensing, contractual or confidentiality agreements with for purposes of building aftermarket diagnostic tools and third-party service information publications and systems. Once a manufacturer provides such diagnostic repair information pursuant to this subparagraph, the requirements of this subparagraph shall be satisfied by 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 HB 2288 4 such manufacturer. Manufacturers shall not be responsible for the content and functionality of aftermarket diagnostic tools or service information providers; (B) make available the same diagnostic and repair information, including repair technical updates, for purchase by motor vehicle owners and independent repair facilities that the manufacturer makes available to the manufacturer's authorized repair facilities through the manufacturer's internet-based diagnostic and repair information system; and (C) provide access to the manufacturer's diagnostic and repair information system for purchase by motor vehicle owners and independent repair facilities on a daily, monthly or yearly subscription basis at comparable costs and terms that the manufacturer charges the manufacturer's authorized repair facilities for access to such subscriptions. (3) All parts, tools, software and other components necessary to complete a full repair of a motor vehicle, as described in this subsection, shall be made available and provided to motor vehicle owners and authorized independent repair facilities. (b) For model year 2002 through 2017 vehicles, including commercial motor vehicles and vehicles having a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds: (1) Access to a motor vehicle's on-board diagnostic system and repair information system shall be the same for a motor vehicle owner or an independent repair facility as that provided to a motor vehicle dealer. (2) All parts, tools, software and components necessary to complete a full repair of a motor vehicle, as described in this subsection, shall be made available and provided to motor vehicle owners and authorized independent repair facilities. (c) For model year 2018 vehicles and each model year thereafter, including commercial motor vehicles and vehicles having a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds: (1) Access to the on-board diagnostic and repair information system shall be made available through use of a personal computer with sufficient memory, processor speed, connectivity and other remote communication capabilities as specified for use by the manufacturer. (2) Model year 2018 vehicles and each model year thereafter shall be equipped with: (A) A nonproprietary motor vehicle interface device that complies with SAE international standard J2534, SAE international standard J1939, commonly referred to as SAE J2534 and SAE J1939, the international organization for standardization standard 22900, commonly referred to as ISO 22900, or any successor to SAE J2534, SAE J1030 or ISO 22900 as may be accepted or published by SAE international or the international organization for standardization, as appropriate; 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 HB 2288 5 (B) an on-board diagnostic and repair information system integrated into and entirely self-contained within the motor vehicle, including, but not limited to, service information systems integrated into an on-board display; and (C) a system that provides direct access to on-board diagnostic and repair information through a nonproprietary motor vehicle interface, such as ethernet, universal serial bus or digital versatile disc. (3) Each manufacturer shall provide access to the same on-board diagnostic and repair information available to motor vehicle dealers, including technical updates to such on-board diagnostic systems, through the nonproprietary interfaces described in paragraph (2). (4) All parts, tools, software and components necessary to complete a full repair of a motor vehicle, as described in this subsection, shall be made available and provided to motor vehicle owners and authorized independent repair facilities. Sec. 6. (a) On or before January 1, 2027, a manufacturer of motor vehicles sold in Kansas, including commercial motor vehicles and vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds, that installs a telematics system on such manufacturer's motor vehicles is required to equip vehicles sold in Kansas with an interoperable and standardized access platform for all of the manufacturer's motor vehicle makes and models. A motor vehicle owner shall be able to grant authorization for use of mechanical data using the standardized access platform. (b) The standardized access platform provided for in this section shall be capable of securely communicating all mechanical data emanating directly from the motor vehicle via a direct data connection to the platform. The platform shall be directly accessible by the motor vehicle owner through a mobile-based application and, upon authorization of the motor vehicle owner, all mechanical data shall be directly accessible by an independent repair facility or a motor vehicle dealer. Such access to mechanical data using the standardized access platform shall be limited to the time to complete the repair of the motor vehicle or for a period of time agreed to by the motor vehicle owner for the purposes of maintaining, diagnosing and repairing the motor vehicle. Such access to mechanical data shall include the ability to send commands to in-vehicle components for purposes of maintenance, diagnosis and repairs. (c) All parts, tools, software and other components necessary to complete a full repair of the motor vehicle, as provided in this section, shall be included and provided to motor vehicle owners and independent repair facilities. Sec. 7. Manufacturers of vehicles sold in Kansas may exclude diagnostic, service and repair information necessary to reset an 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 HB 2288 6 immobilizer system or security-related electronic modules from the information required to be provided to motor vehicle owners and independent repair facilities under the act. If information to reset an immobilizer system or security-related electronic modules is excluded pursuant to this section, such information shall be made available to motor vehicle owners and independent repair facilities through the secure data release model system used by the national automotive service task force, as in effect on January 1, 2026, or any other known, reliable and accepted data release model system. Sec. 8. A motor vehicle owner or independent repair facility authorized by an owner to make repairs on such owner's motor vehicle but has been denied access to mechanical data in violation of the act, may bring a civil action seeking any remedies provided by law. Each denial of access shall constitute a violation of the act and subject to a civil penalty of $3,000 per violation or $10,000, whichever amount is greater. Sec. 9. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after January 1, 2026, and its publication in the statute book. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17