S 6438: Promotes consumer choice by requiring manufacturers of digital electronic equipment to provide retail sellers with a one through ten repair score that will be displayed to consumers at point of sale - New York

S6438B → S6438C · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to transfer authority over repair scoring criteria from the Attorney General to the Department of State. This change also updated the definition of a 'repair score' to allow for numerical, alphanumerical, or alphabetical formats rather than just a one-to-ten scale.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's oversight shifted from the Attorney General to the Department of State, which now holds the power to develop scoring criteria and approve logo representations.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'repair score' was expanded to include numerical, alphanumerical, or alphabetical scores instead of being limited to a one-through-ten scale.

REQUIREMENT

The agency responsible for developing repair scoring criteria and updating them was changed from the Attorney General to the Department of State.

The requirement for manufacturers to print repair scores on packaging was updated to specify that the logo representation must be developed by the Department of State.

ENFORCEMENT

The entity authorized to receive repair scores and detailed scores from manufacturers was changed from the Attorney General to the Department of State.

S6438A → S6438B · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered from S6438-A to S6438-B and returned to the Consumer Protection Committee for further review. The most significant change is the addition of a new requirement that the repairability scoring criteria must align with widely accepted international standards before they can be applied, rather than being set solely by the Attorney General. This amendment also expands the list of factors used to calculate repair scores to include repair options and tools, while delaying the mandatory application of these new scoring rules until one year after the law takes effect.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed regarding the immediate application of new scoring criteria; the scoring system will only apply to equipment sold after one year, and only to devices that already meet international repairability standards.

REQUIREMENT

Added a condition that scoring criteria must align with widely accepted international repairability standards before they are applied.

Expanded the list of scoring factors to include 'repair options available' and 'availability of tools for repair and maintenance'.

TIMELINE

Delayed the mandatory application of the new scoring criteria to equipment sold one year after the law's effective date.

ELIGIBILITY

Restricted the immediate application of scoring criteria to only those products already subject to international repairability standards.

S6438 → S6438A · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to add Senator Fahy as a sponsor and to significantly simplify the requirements for displaying repair scores. The changes remove the obligation for retail sellers to display scores in-store and on websites, shifting the responsibility entirely to manufacturers to print scores on product packaging and display them online. This reduces the administrative burden on retailers while maintaining the goal of informing consumers about repairability.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding who must act changed from requiring both manufacturers and retail sellers to act to requiring only manufacturers to act.

ELIGIBILITY

Added Senator Fahy as a co-sponsor alongside Senator Comrie.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the requirement for retail sellers to display repair scores in physical stores or on their websites.

Added a requirement for manufacturers to print the repair score and logo directly on the product packaging.

Simplified the scoring criteria section by removing the specific mention of updating criteria periodically, though the general authority remains.

Promotes consumer choice by requiring manufacturers of digital electronic equipment to provide retail sellers with a one through ten repair score that will be displayed to consumers at point of sale

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