RV Industry Association’s Jay Landers Discusses Advocacy Priorities State RV Dealers Conventions

Over the past few months, Jay Landers, RV Industry Association Vice President of Government Affairs has presented at the Texas, Florida, and Oklahoma RV Dealers Association Conventions—something he has been doing annually for more than a decade. During his presentations he discusses a number of important topics, including: the significance of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, the RV industry’s role in advocating for safe outdoor recreation policies, ongoing legislation designed to increase outdoor recreation access, and current challenges faced by the industry.

Jay first discussed the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, a group of 34 mostly DC-based trade associations that represent the spectrum of outdoor recreation activities, including RVs, boating, fishing, ATVs, and several others. He emphasized the crucial role that the collective $788 billion-dollar outdoor recreation industry plays in the U.S. economy and its influence on policy on Capitol Hill. The RV Industry Association itself met regularly with Interior Secretaries Zinke and Bernhardt during the Trump administration, and Jay assured the audience that they are working on that same relationship with new Interior Secretary Haaland and her team.

The RV Industry Association’s Government Affairs team and its partners in the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable have long worked with legislators on issues involving increased access to outdoor recreation activities. In particular, Jay discussed the RV industry’s role in shaping some of the provisions that are present in the Great American Outdoors Act, a recent legislation that will invest close to $10 billion dollars into the deferred maintenance on public lands, including campgrounds, throughout the next five years.

“We recognize the close link between RVs and campgrounds, and our mutual success is inextricably linked,” he said. “The health and wellbeing of the RV industry is, in part, dependent upon the health and growth of the campground industry.”

Jay also addressed the “floor plan financing” issue, assuring the audience that the RV Industry Association was taking action to resolve the problem. In particular, he highlighted the recruitment of Members of Congress to support the Travel Trailer and Camper Tax Parity Act, which has been introduced in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

He also discussed the infrastructure bill, stating that, both individually as the RV industry, and collectively, with the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, the efforts were successful for continued or increased funding for important federal government initiatives impacting the RV industry.

His final subjects included the ongoing supply chain challenges and information from the Go RVing RV Owner Demographic Profile. He also touched on the establishment of Offices of Outdoor Recreation across a number of states, challenges posed by tiny homes, and a potential data/privacy bill that could become effective in 2022.

As its advocacy efforts continue, the RV Industry Association continues to be interested in increased unity with all areas of the outdoor recreation industry. “We look forward to working closely with the other sectors of the outdoor recreation industry to ensure increased access to the outdoors and a more positive experience for everyone involved,” said Jay. “We will continue to work with legislators and our partners in the outdoor recreation industry to accomplish these goals moving forward.”