An Act to Establish a Repairability Index for Consumer Electronic Products
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1716
Committee: Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business
Sponsors: CRAFTS, COPELAND, DAVIS, KUHN, LEE, MURPHY, PLUECKER, SMITH, ZEIGLER

Legislative Document
No. 1716
H.P. 1105
House of Representatives, April 18, 2023
An Act to Establish a Repairability Index for Consumer Electronic 
Products
Reference to the Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and 
Business suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative CRAFTS of Newcastle.
Cosponsored by Representatives: COPELAND of Saco, DAVIS of East Machias, KUHN of 
Falmouth, LEE of Auburn, MURPHY of Scarborough, PLUECKER of Warren, SMITH of 
Palermo, ZEIGLER of Montville.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  10 MRSA c. 235 is enacted to read:
CHAPTER 235
REPAIRABILITY INDEX FOR CONSUMER ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS
§1500-R. Definitions
As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms 
have the following meanings.
1. Consumer electronic product.  "Consumer electronic product" means a cellular 
telephone, laptop computer, television monitor, electric lawnmower, top-loading washing 
machine, vacuum cleaner or high-pressure washer designed and intended for residential 
use by a consumer.
2. Department.  "Department" means the Department of Economic and Community 
Development.
3. Producer.  "Producer" means a person that:
A. Has legal ownership of the brand of a consumer electronic product sold or offered 
for sale in the State; or
B. Imports into the State for sale a consumer electronic product that is branded by a 
person that meets the requirements of paragraph A and has no physical presence in the 
United States.
§1500-S. Repairability index for consumer electronic products
In accordance with the provisions of this section and rules adopted by the department 
pursuant to subsection 6, the department shall solicit from producers and make publicly 
available a repairability index for consumer electronic products sold or offered for sale in 
the State.
1. Indexing criteria.  The department shall solicit from producers a repairability index 
for each consumer electronic product sold or offered for sale in the State based on the 
following 5 criteria:
A. The commitment by the producer of the product to make technical documents 
regarding the product available free of charge to repairers and consumers;
B. The ease of disassembly of the product, the types of tools required for disassembly 
and characteristics of the product's fasteners that must be removed or otherwise 
manipulated to allow for disassembly;
C. The availability of spare parts for the product, taking into consideration both the 
duration during which spare parts will be sold by or otherwise made available through 
the producer and the anticipated delivery time of spare parts from the producer to the 
repairer or consumer;
D.  The price of spare parts for the product, taking into consideration the producer's 
suggested retail price for the product compared to the price of the spare parts for the 
product; and
E.  Other criteria specific to the category of the product as determined by the 
department by rule.
2. Publication of repairability index scores; producer and seller notifications.  In 
accordance with rules adopted by the department and based on information available to the 
department, after reviewing each of the criteria listed in subsection 1 for each consumer 
electronic product, the department shall make available on its publicly accessible website 
each of the repairability index scores calculated for consumer electronic products.  The 
department shall provide a copy of the repairability index score to the producer of the 
product, if known to the department, and to any person that, to the department's knowledge, 
sells the product at retail in the State.  The department shall periodically update repairability 
index scores for consumer electronic products when the department determines that, based 
on additional information available to the department, a published repairability index score 
for a product may no longer be accurate.
3.  Retail sales notice.  A person that sells a consumer electronic product at retail in 
the State that receives a notification from the department regarding the product's 
repairability index score shall ensure that, within 90 days of receipt of the notification:
A. The product's repairability index score is prominently displayed on the product or 
near the pricing information for the product within the retail location; and
B. Information regarding the calculation and meaning of the repairability index score 
for the product is made available to a potential purchaser of the product within the store 
or upon request.  The department shall develop and make such information available 
to persons selling consumer electronic products at retail in the State.
4. Producer publication.  A producer of a consumer electronic product that receives 
a notification from the department regarding the product's repairability index score shall 
ensure that, within 90 days of receipt of the notification, the producer makes available to 
consumers on a publicly accessible website or upon request the product's repairability index 
score and information regarding the calculation and meaning of the repairability index 
score for the product.  The department shall develop and make such information available 
to producers of consumer electronic products sold or offered for sale in the State.
5. Producer and retailer outreach; technical assistance.  The department shall 
conduct outreach to producers of consumer electronic products sold or offered for sale in 
the State and to persons selling such products at retail in the State regarding the provisions 
and requirements of this chapter and shall provide technical assistance to such producers 
and persons in complying with the requirements of this chapter.
6.  Rules. The department shall adopt rules necessary for the implementation and 
administration of this chapter.  Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine 
technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
SUMMARY
This bill directs the Department of Economic and Community Development to solicit 
from producers of consumer electronic products a repairability index for the following 
types of consumer electronic products: cellular telephones, laptop computers, television 
monitors, electric lawnmowers, top-loading washing machines, vacuum cleaners or high-
pressure washers designed and intended for residential use by consumers.
The department is required to make available on its publicly accessible website each 
of the repairability index scores calculated for consumer electronic products and provide a 
copy of the repairability index score to the product's producer and to any person that sells 
the product at retail in the State.  The product's producer and persons selling the product at 
retail are required to provide information regarding the product's repairability index score 
to consumers and potential purchasers of the product within 90 days of receipt of the 
notification from the department.  The department is directed to adopt routine technical 
rules relating to the repairability indexing of consumer electronic products.