In today’s polarized political climate, there are very few pieces of legislation that can bring together policymakers from both sides of the aisle. This situation has resulted in many bills that could benefit the majority of Americans dying in Congress and being all but abandoned.
Over the summer, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) introduced the Save Money on Auto-Repair Transportation Act, otherwise known as the SMART Act. This bill — co-sponsored by three Democrats and two additional Republicans – has the opportunity to buck that trend and benefit working class households all over America.
Why the SMART Act? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, vehicle repair costs have skyrocketed 60 percent since the year 2000. This repair increase has been almost exclusively driven by automakers abusing design patents to choke out competition and monopolize their business. According to the Consumer Access to Repair (CAR) Coalition’s latest study, design patents are up a whopping 156 percent since the year 2000, coinciding with repair price increases.