Rhode Island HB 7476: AN ACT RELATING TO COMMERCIAL LAW -- GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS -- AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT RIGHT TO REPAIR ACT

Bill Text

2026 -- H 7476
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LC004801
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO COMMERCIAL LAW -- GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS --
AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT RIGHT TO REPAIR ACT
Introduced By: Representatives Shallcross Smith, Fogarty, Bennett, Azzinaro,
Marszalkowski, DeSimone, and McGaw
Date Introduced: February 04, 2026
Referred To: House Corporations

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Title 6 of the General Laws entitled "COMMERCIAL LAW — GENERAL 1
REGULATORY PROVISIONS" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 2
CHAPTER 63 3
AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT RIGHT TO REPAIR ACT 4
6-63-1. Short title. 5
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Agricultural Equipment Right to 6
Repair Act". 7
6-63-2. Definitions. 8
As used in this chapter: 9
(1) "Authorized repair provider" means an individual or business who is affiliated with an 10
original equipment manufacturer and who has an arrangement with the original equipment 11
manufacturer, for a definite or indefinite period, under which the original equipment manufacturer 12
grants to the individual or business a license to use a trade name, service mark, or other proprietary 13
identifier for the purposes of offering the services of diagnosis, maintenance, or repair of 14
electronics-enabled agricultural equipment under the name of the original equipment manufacturer, 15
or other arrangement with the original equipment manufacturer to offer such services on behalf of 16
the original equipment manufacturer. An original equipment manufacturer who offers the services 17
of diagnosis, maintenance, or repair of its own electronics-enabled agricultural equipment, shall be 18

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considered an authorized repair provider, with respect to such equipment. 1
(2) "Documentation" means any manual, diagram, reporting output, service code 2
description, schematic, product guides, product service demonstrations, training seminars, clinics, 3
fleet management information, connected support, mobile applications, on-board diagnostics via 4
diagnostics port or wireless interface, or other guidance or information on service, parts, operation, 5
safety, electronic field diagnostic service tools, or training for use in effecting the services of 6
diagnosis, maintenance, or repair of electronics-enabled agricultural equipment. 7
(3) "Electronics-enabled agricultural equipment" or "equipment" means any product, part 8
of a product, or attachment to a product, when sold or leased for use in farming, ranching, or other 9
agriculture, that depends for its functioning, in whole or in part, on digital electronics embedded in 10
or attached to it. The term includes, but is not limited to, a tractor, trailer, combine, tillage, planting, 11
irrigation, or cultivating implement, baler, unmanned aircraft system, or off-road vehicle. 12
Electronics-enabled agricultural equipment or equipment does not include motor vehicles, and does 13
not include consumer electronic devices, including wireless communication devices and 14
computers. 15
(4) "Embedded software" means any programmable instructions provided on firmware 16
delivered with electronics-enabled agricultural equipment, or with a part for such equipment, for 17
purposes of equipment operation, including all relevant patches and fixes made available by the 18
manufacturer of such equipment or part for such purposes. 19
(5) "Fair and reasonable terms for obtaining a part, a tool, documentation, or software" 20
means at fair and reasonable costs and terms, that do not impair the contracts and agreements 21
between authorized repair providers affiliated with the original equipment manufacturer. Fair and 22
reasonable terms shall not include additional cost or burden not reasonably necessary, or designed 23
to be an impediment on the independent repair provider or equipment owner. 24
(6) "Fair and reasonable terms for software tools" means permitting or effecting the 25
diagnosis, maintenance, or repair and enabling full functionality of electronics-enabled agricultural 26
equipment without requiring authorization or Internet access, or in a manner that impairs the 27
efficient and cost-effective performance of any of those activities, unless authorization is required 28
to prevent access to source code or infringement of intellectual property in software or hardware 29
that is owned and licensed to the original equipment manufacturer by a third party and subject to 30
terms of use. 31
(7) "Firmware" means a software program or set of instructions programmed on 32
electronics-enabled agricultural equipment, or on a part for such equipment, to allow the equipment 33
or part to communicate within itself or with other computer hardware. 34

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(8) "Independent repair provider" means an individual or business operating in this state, 1
that does not have an arrangement with an origin