After attending his first NIADA Policy Conference Sept. 15-16 in Washington, D.C., Shea Phillips felt inspired to continue advocacy efforts on the Right to the Repair.
The general manager of Number One Auto Sales in Buckhannon, West Virginia, who has built a strong following with his creative social media marketing, turned to what he knows best to inspire others to join the effort to get the REPAIR Act passed. Phillips shot an informative video about the proposed act and the current limitations on the industry.
“If this bill doesn’t pass, the future impact that monopolizing auto parts and repairs by the manufacturers will have on consumers, as well as service shops, will be crippling,” Phillips said. “I felt like this was an easy sell to convince members of Congress to pass this bill. But then I remembered that small independent dealers like us don’t have the deep pockets of the manufacturers. So what do you do when you don’t have deep pockets? You gather as many voices as you can and you make them heard. That’s why I decided to make this video and try to spread the word about the importance of this bill.”
The REPAIR Act was one of four issues presented during the visit to Capitol Hill during discussions with lawmakers. In all, 148 NIADA members took part in the Day on the Hill, holding 123 meetings with members of Congress and their staff.
The REPAIR Act (H.R. 1566 and S. 1379), introduced in both chambers with bipartisan support, is designed to empower consumers and promote competition in the automotive repair industry by safeguarding vehicle owners’ access to essential repair and maintenance information, ensuring independent repair shops, parts manufacturers and aftermarket service providers can continue to offer affordable and high-quality services. The bills prohibit OEMs from using technological or legal barriers that prevent vehicle owners or their designees from accessing vehicle-generated data and critical repair information.
Phillips recently joined the NIADA Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Committee, where he learned about the bills and advocacy efforts in the industry.
“I wasn’t even aware of the Right to Repair Act. Once I learned all about it, I realized that if I hadn’t heard about it, then I’m sure most consumers hadn’t heard about it either,” Phillips said.
Phillips said the time in Washington was important, but he realizes the work continues to grow the industry’s voice and push this issue.
“That’s why I am following up my visit to Capitol Hill with emails about the importance of this bill. And I urge each person reading this article right now to make a similar video to share with your audience to help get the word out so folks know what the future holds if we don’t get this bill passed,” he said.
NIADA continues dialogue with industry partners on the Right to Repair and is working with a coalition of other trade groups.
NIADA will return to Washington, D.C., Sept. 28-29, 2026, at the Willard InterContinental.
See photos from this year’s NIADA Policy Conference here.
