TOPICS.

I'M GOING TO START WITH SENATOR HOWE.

WE HAVE A FEWER FROM GRAND FALLS.

WE OFTEN GET THE QUESTION AND GET IT FROM A VARIETY OF PLACES THROUGHOUT MINNESOTA.

IT DOESN'T COME FROM ANY PARTICULAR PLACE, BUT IT'S ONE OF OUR FREQUENT FLYERS.

THIS VIEWER WANTS TO KNOW WHAT DOES THE PANEL THINK ABOUT RIGHT TO REPAIR.

IN THIS VIEWER'S MIND THE MOST IMPORTANT IS THE RIGHT OF FARMERS TO REPAIR THEIR MACHINERY.

I WANT TO START WITH YOU, SENATOR HOWE, TO SEE IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO OFFER ON THAT QUESTION, AND WE WILL MOVE ON FROM THERE.

>> THANK YOU.

I TRULY BELIEVE THAT AS LONG AS THEY -- I TALKED TO SOME OF THE IMPLEMENT DEALERS.

I THINK YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO REPAIR YOUR IMPLEMENT.

I THINK THAT WHEN YOU -- AS FAR AS I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE IMPLEMENT DEALER, THEY WILL SELL YOU THE TOILS.

THEY WILL SELL YOU THE DIAGNOSTIC EQUIPMENT.

THEY WILL SELL YOU THE PARTS AND HELP YOU, IN FACT, BE A GUIDE TO HELP YOU FIX IT YOURSELF, BUT WHAT THEY DON'T LIKE TO SEE IS WHEN SOMEONE, FOR LACK OF BETTER TERMS JERRY RIGS THE OUTFIT OR PUTS A CHIP IN IT THAT'S NOT THE RIGHT PIECE OF EQUIPMENT.

I HAVE NOT HEARD OF, AND NOBODY HAS GIVEN ME A GOOD EXAMPLE OF NOT BEING ABLE TO BUY THE PART, NOT BEING ABLE TO BUY THE TOOLS TO PUT THE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT IN.

ALL OF THAT STUFF IS AVAILABLE TO FOLKS.

THE PIECE THAT I DON'T THINK IS AVAILABLE TO FOLKS IS WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR ELECTRONICS AND APPLE AND THAT TYPE OF THING.

I THINK THAT IS WHERE THE BIG CONCERN IS IS THOSE FOLKS AREN'T ALLOWED TO FIX THEIR OWN PHONE OR THEIR OWN COMPUTER.

THAT'S A BIGGER ISSUE, BECAUSE THEY DON'T GIVE THEM THE TOOLS.

THEY DON'T GIVE THEM THE GUIDE.

ALL THE IMPLEMENT DEALERS I HAVE TALKED TO ABOUT THIS ISSUE, AND I HAVE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE IN MY DISTRICT ASK ME ABOUT IT, SO I HAVE GONE TO THE IMPLEMENT DEALERS AND SAID HEY, WHAT'S UP, AND THEY ARE MORE THAN WILLING TO SELL YOU THE DECREASE STICK EQUIPMENT, THE TOOLS TO FIX IT AND THE PART TO FIX IT.

IF YOU WANT TO PUT THE LABOR IN TO FIX IT YOURSELF, THEY ARE MORE THAN WILL TO DO THAT.

I DON'T EXACTLY KNOW WHERE THE DISCONNECT IS THERE.

>> Barry: REPRESENTATIVE URDAHL, THERE HAVE BEEN BILLS OFFERED IN VARIOUS OTHER STATES, NOT WHERE ONE THAT HAS PASSED, BUT I KNOW A NUMBER OF THEM HAVE FOUNDERED AND THE ISSUE OFTEN SEEMS TO BE, AS SENATOR HOWE SUGGESTED, ALONG THE ELECTRONICS SITE OF THINGS AND UNWILLINGNESS TO PROVIDE CODE AND THE DATA FRAMEWORK TO ALLOW SO-CALLED NONCERTIFIED REPAIR OPERATIONS.

TELL OUR VIEWERS, THOUGH, YOUR OBSERVATIONS ON THIS ISSUE.

>> FIRST I THINK SENATOR HOWE DID A GOOD JOB OF RUNNING THROUGH THE CIRCUMSTANCES WITH THIS.

I THINK THAT FARMERS AND OTHERS CERTAINLY SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO REPAIR.

THERE MAY BE, AS YOU WERE SAYING, ELECTRONIC SITUATIONS WHERE IT DOESN'T QUITE WORK OUT.

BUT IN A GENERAL SENSE, THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO REPAIR THEIR EQUIPMENT IF THEY HAVE THE TOOLS AND THE KNOW HOW TO DO SO.

OBVIOUSLY THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE PAST GENERATIONS.

MY DAD WAS A FARMER.

I CAN'T IMAGINE IT EVER EVEN BEING A QUESTION THEN ABOUT SHOULD YOU BE ABLE TO REPAIR YOUR EQUIPMENT IF YOU WANTED TO.

BUT TIMES HAVE CHANGED, EQUIPMENT HAS CHANGED, BUT AGAIN, IN A GENERAL SENSE, I THINK OUR FARMERS SHOULD BE ABLE TO REPAIR THEIR EQUIPMENT.

>> Barry: REPRESENTATIVE PELOWSKI, QUICKLY YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS.

>> I WOULD SUPPORT BEING ABLE TO REPAIR BUT I UNDERSTAND WHEN YOU HAVE PROPRIETARY KNOWLEDGE, WHETHER IT'S SOFTWARE OR HARDWARE, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO RELEASE THAT EASILY, IF THEY EVER RELEASE IT AT ALL.

GOING BACK TO THE IDEA OF A SKILL SET, THE MOST INTERESTING THING I DISCOVERED OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS WITH THE TWO-YEAR TECHNICAL COLLEGE IS ONCE THE INDIVIDUAL GETS THE SKILL SET, IT'S THE COMPANY OR THE BUSINESS THAT GIVES THEM THE PROPRIETARY SKILLS IN ORDER TO DO THE WORK.

YOU ARE REALLY DOING TWO DIFFERENT LEVELS HERE.

YOU ARE GIVING SOMEONE A GENERIC SKILL SET AND PROPRIETARY IS THE BUSINESS.

IT'S PART OF HOW THEY MAKE THEIR PROFITS.

>> Barry: WE WILL PROBABLY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THIS AS THE WEEKS GO BY.

SPEAKING OF AN ISSUE THAT IS