Evan Umpir, General Counsel & Director of Tax, Transportation, and Legal Affairs, testified on Assembly Bill 31, creating a lemon law for implements of husbandry. WMC has led the effort ensure that manufacturers’ interests are protected with this legislation for multiple sessions. Legislators advocating for the bill have been receptive to most of WMC’s and manufacturer’s concerns, both this and in previous years, but technical issues remain, as well as a provision that would make Wisconsin’s law an outlier compared to the nearly dozen states that have similar laws. Including this unnecessary disclosure requirement makes Wisconsin an uncompetitive outlier. Additionally, the provision is unnecessary because placing broken equipment back into the market wastes time and money for manufacturers should it need further repair, drives down the sales price of equipment, and does not factor in reputational value for manufacturers.
This bill is a cousin of two other bills currently pending in the Legislature – “right to repair” – one that applies to agricultural equipment, the other to motor vehicles. These bills present issues for manufacturers particularly when consumers attempt or demand access to proprietary equipment or software.
