AED Advocacy Delivers Key Win for Equipment Industry to Final NDAA
On December 17, the U.S. Senate approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), sending it to President Trump for his signature, following passage by the U.S. House of Representatives last week.
Importantly, the final bill did not include right to repair provisions that AED actively lobbied against, representing a significant victory for the industry and a setback to those seeking to impose these mandates on products, including off-road equipment. AED members actively engaged lawmakers regarding the equipment industry’s concerns with language originally included in the House and Senate NDAAs passed by both the House and Senate, and it was a top priority during the AED Policy Conference and Advocacy Day in October.
“Thank you to equipment dealers and manufacturers for educating lawmakers about the impact misguided right to repair proposals have on the industry,” said AED President & CEO Brian P. McGuire. “This was not a time for the equipment industry to be passive. Ensuring that right to repair provisions were removed from the National Defense Authorization Act prevents off-road equipment from inclusion in legislation pertaining to military and weapons systems, and assists in our efforts to defeat similar proposals that apply directly to the products AED members distribute, service and manufacture.”
Throughout the process, AED led the charge of behalf of equipment dealers against the NDAA right to prepare provisions, as outlined in an article by AED’s Senior Vice President of Government & External Affairs Daniel B. Fisher that was published in Farm Equipment in July.
To read Fisher’s article in Farm Equipment click here.
To view AED’s opposition letter to the House NDAA provision click here.