Collision repair shops have been contending with a range of legislative and regulatory activity in recent months, covering how insurance appraisals must be staffed, how vehicle glass claims are handled, and whether independent shops gain broader access to vehicle repair data.
The developments include a finalized ruling in Massachusetts, a stalled bill in Illinois, a pending bill in South Carolina, and a federal right-to-repair measure facing a Sept. 30 deadline.
Massachusetts appraiser board ruling takes effect
The Massachusetts Auto Damage Appraiser Licensing Board adopted Advisory Ruling 2026-1 by majority vote at its July 14, 2026, meeting, according to the ruling posted by the board.
The ruling responds to a change made by the Massachusetts Division of Standards (DOS). According to the board, DOS "no longer requires repair shops to employ a licensed motor vehicle damage appraiser ... as a condition of registration."
The ruling also clarifies how shops may satisfy the licensing requirement. The board interprets "employment" to include a repair shop "retaining or engaging a licensed appraiser as a subcontractor, provided the appraiser is directly responsible for preparing and negotiating the appraisal," according to the ruling.
The board addressed enforcement as well. Any repair shop or insurer "representing an appraisal as having been prepared by a licensed appraiser, without that appraiser's direct preparation and negotiation, constitutes noncompliant activity subject to enforcement for unlicensed appraisal conduct or misrepresentation of appraiser employment," the ruling states. Noncompliance "may result in fines and penalties as provided by law," the board wrote.
Federal right-to-repair language faces a Sept. 30 deadline
At the federal level, right-to-repair provisions affecting collision repair shops remain tied up in broader vehicle safety legislation. The Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair Act, H.R. 1566 advanced out of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade on Feb. 10, 2026, by voice vote, according to NATSO.
The full House Energy and Commerce Committee did not advance H.R. 1566 as introduced. Instead, in May 2026, the committee set aside H.R. 1566's full text and incorporated a narrower right-to-repair title into a separate, previously introduced bill, the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act of 2026, H.R. 7389, according to a Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network fact sheet.
Earlier Autobody News coverage reported the committee approved it by a vote of 48-1. Substitute language excludes the telematics access mandate central to H.R. 1566, according to the CVSN fact sheet.
H.R. 7389 is expected to move as part of the surface transportation reauthorization, which carries a Sept. 30, 2026, deadline, according to the same Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network fact sheet.
Illinois glass insurance bill stalls after House passage
In Illinois, a bill, the Motor Vehicle Glass Repair Act, regulating auto glass insurance claims and steering practices passed the House unanimously before its progress stopped in the Senate.
As introduced, House Bill 4373 would prohibit an insured from assigning or transferring policy duties or benefits to any other person, set notice requirements for motor vehicle glass shops, address glass repair claims practices and prohibited acts, and establish a customer's right to choose a repair shop, according to the bill's synopsis. Earlier coverage detailed the bill's advancement through the House committee.
The Senate had set a third-reading deadline of May 31, 2026, under its procedural rules. The bill missed that deadline, and on June 1, 2026, it was re-referred to the Senate Assignments Committee. No further action has been recorded since.
South Carolina glass reimbursement bill remains in committee
A South Carolina bill would go further than most state auto glass measures by setting reimbursement standards for glass repair, replacement and ADAS recalibration work. Senate Bill 767 has had no further action recorded as of Sept. 3, 2026.
The bill would require insurers and third-party administrators to provide glass repair reimbursement that "reflects prevailing competitive market rates" and is not "set solely by the insurer, a third-party administrator or any affiliated entity," according to the bill text. It defines "prevailing competitive market rates" as prices based on "actual retail market data" and "not dictated solely by an insurer, third-party administrator, or affiliated entity," and it lists factors that may establish local market conditions.
The bill follows a broader pattern of state legislation addressing auto glass insurance claims, including a similar measure that advanced through the California Legislature this year.
