FARM Act
Sponsored By: Representative Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp [D-WA-3]
Introduced
Summary
Guarantees owner and independent repair access to the documentation, parts, software, firmware, tools, and operational data needed to diagnose, maintain, upgrade, reprogram, or repair farm equipment. It sets clear definitions and requires original equipment manufacturers to provide those materials on fair and reasonable terms.
Show full summary
- Owners can obtain the farm equipment data generated by their machines and get necessary documentation, parts, software, firmware, or tools on fair and reasonable terms.
- Independent repair providers may access the same materials and tools on fair and reasonable terms and can use circumvention tools where necessary for diagnosis, repair, security research, or interoperability with controlling software.
- Original equipment manufacturers must continue offering required parts, documentation, software, and tools and ensure parts can be replaced without damage; they face civil penalties of $1,000 per day for a first violation, $2,000 per day for a second, and $5,000 per day for third and subsequent violations.
- The Federal Trade Commission enforces these rules as unfair or deceptive acts and can issue regulations to implement the law that are consistent with the Clean Air Act and related rules.
- The act protects trade secrets to the extent necessary and prohibits modifications that permanently disable safety notifications, enable unauthorized changes to safety or emissions settings, or violate emissions or copyright laws.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Daily fines and FTC enforcement for repairs
The bill would bar makers from stopping the offer of repair documents, parts, software, or tools to owners or repair shops. If they do, fines would apply per day: $1,000 for a first violation, $2,000 for a second, and $5,000 for a third or later. The Federal Trade Commission would treat violations like unfair or deceptive practices and could enforce them. The FTC would write rules through notice and comment, and those rules would need to align with Clean Air Act rules.
Repair rights for farm equipment owners
If enacted, equipment makers would need to offer repair manuals, parts, software, firmware, and tools on fair and reasonable terms to owners and independent shops. You could get your machine’s data, or have it sent to a repair shop you choose. Makers would also need to offer tools to turn security features on or off when needed for repair, on fair terms. You could bypass some software locks to repair, enable interoperability, do security research, or make legal changes, and people could make or sell tools for those purposes. Parts would have to be replaceable with common tools, or with a special tool the maker must provide on fair terms. Limits remain: this would not allow turning off safety alerts for good or breaking emissions or copyright laws, and makers would not have to reveal trade secrets beyond what is needed to let repairs happen.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp [D-WA-3]
WA • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]
CO • D
Sponsored 10/28/2025
Pingree
ME • D
Sponsored 10/31/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov