Advocacy Day, a long-running foundational event, takes place on June 8, Wednesday during RVs Move America Week. It is an opportunity for the members of the RV Industry Association (RVIA) and the rest of the RV industry to make a difference on the most critical issues to the growth of the industry, as per a News & Insights report of RVIA.
The RVIA’s federal affairs team has represented the RV industry in Congress and federal agencies that advocate for the industry throughout the year. This year will prioritize campground modernization and expansion, outdoor recreation and access, trade, and tax-related issues.
Campground Modernization and Expansion
Between the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) and the recent establishment of the National Campground Office within the National Park Service, RVIA’s federal affairs team has been focusing on being a resource in executing these critical initiatives.
It will dramatically enhance the camping experience for the growing RV camping community.
Another proposal moving into Congress is the Outdoor Recreation Act, a bill that acknowledges the growing demand for RVs and makes crucial changes to meet this need by:
- Modernizing the U.S. Forest Service and other public campgrounds.
- Providing gateway community assistance for outdoor recreation businesses, including private campgrounds
- Responsibly extending public lands shoulder seasons to expand RV camping opportunities.
- Bringing broadband/Wi-Fi to campgrounds in the front country to address safety concerns and offer the technologies that future and current campers require.
The RV industry is the driving force behind this legislation. It strongly supports the bill’s introduction in a pilot program that will allow public-private partnerships to modernize campgrounds on federal land.
Increasing Outdoor Access Through Improved EV Infrastructure
In recent comments to the Federal Highway Administration, the RVIA expressed its support for the Administration’s goal of enhancing accessibility to outdoor activities for Americans, specifically through the creation of incentive and grant programs for local and state governments, and the private sector’s participation in the development of infrastructure across the nation of EV charging stations.
Ensuring better access to outdoor space and environmental concerns and adapting to new technologies has resulted in the need for a strong EV charging infrastructure, particularly within rural regions, state and national parks and forests, gateway communities, and private camping areas.
The creation and financing of solid EV charging infrastructure aligns closely with the efforts of the RVIA to unite the industry through collaboration with both the private and public campgrounds to enhance the experience of the RV and camping consumers.
Renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP)
The flaws in the GSP program have cost the RV industry an average of $1 million each month. The problem hasn’t changed much since the fourth quarter of 2021, as per RVIA. Unfortunately, House Democrats remain separated from the majority of Congress regarding the renewal conditions.
The RVIA outreach has focused on urging Ways and Means and Finance Committee representatives to take action on the issue swiftly and advocate for a longer-term renewal for the program. According to the association, it’s “seeing some momentum”.
The House and Senate have passed bills, The America COMPETES Act and the US Innovation and Competition Act (USICA), which will reauthorize GSP. The significant difference between them is the duration of renewal and country criteria.
The Senate bill provides a retroactive renewal of six years, and the House bill is only renewing it for four years retroactively. Furthermore, the House bill strengthens the country criteria for beneficiary countries, particularly the labor, environmental, and human rights criteria.
When the conference committee has produced an initial version, legislation will go to both chambers for a vote. It will be sent to the president’s desk for approval if it is approved. Although the Democrats have stated that they would like the State of the Union to complete it, the government affairs team believes August recess is more feasible.
Reestablishment of Section 301 Tariffs Exclusion Process
While the United States Trade Representative (USTR) introduced a limited exclusion program covering approximately 550 items, it is yet to implement a stronger exclusion program.
The members from both chambers of Congress have been pushing USTR to reinstate a comprehensive transparent, fair, and open exclusion procedure that allows US manufacturers, producers, and importers to request exemptions of Section 301 tariffs on imports from China.
The Senate includes the reintroduction of an exclusion procedure in USICA. However, the House COMPETES Act does not contain this language. Members can watch their most recent webinar on trade here.
Addressing Supply Chain Issues
In December, the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 (H.R.4996), which is being closely followed, has passed the House. It is the first major revision of federal regulations to the global shipping industry in more than 30 years, authored by U.S. Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and John Garamendi (D-CA).
While the bill may not be the perfect solution to supply chain issues, a significant modification will transfer the responsibility of proving the fairness of “detention or demurrage” charges from the invoiced party to the ocean carrier, which could help those who have products stuck at ports. The bill is now heading to the Senate to be considered.