Tech giants are championing the idea of repairing your own gadgets.

Apple is pushing California lawmakers to pass a “right to repair” law that would require manufacturers to let users fix their broken devices. It’s part of a growing nationwide movement aimed at reducing e-waste and lowering costs for consumers.

"People want and need to be able to fix their machines when they break and tinker with them themselves," Elizabeth Rosenblatt, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University, told Lifewire in an email interview. "Until recently, that wasn't a problem: You could just tinker with what you had. Now that many devices use software as well as hardware, the right to repair becomes crucial, because you can open up your device to fix it or modify it, which may mean getting through an encryption barrier in addition to whatever else you want to do."

The new bill, called SB 244, seeks to require manufacturers to provide repair tools and parts to repair shops and product owners under fair and reasonable terms. The bill is currently being debated in the California Assembly after passing the Senate in June. A vote is expected in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.