Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Joe Donnelly and Dan Coats expressed cautious optimism regarding the proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that would more clearly exempt recreational vehicles (RVs) from manufactured housing standards. The current HUD definition was written decades ago, but technological advancements in the RV industry prompted regulatory authorities, using the outdated definition, to blur the line between RVs and manufactured homes. Donnelly and Coats have been working together on a bipartisan basis since 2014 to bring much-needed clarity to the RV industry. In addition to writing multiple letters to HUD on the matter, they also successfully included language in a Senate Appropriations bill in July or 2014 urging HUD to update this definition.
Donnelly said, “I am pleased that HUD is finally acting on this pressing concern, and it is a step in the right direction. I look forward to continuing to work with Senator Coats to make sure HUD gets this rule-making right. As I have since I was first elected to Congress, I will keep fighting for the thousands of Hoosier jobs at our state’s RV manufacturers and dealers.”
Coats said, “HUD’s RV regulations date back to 1982. Since that time, the industry has made dramatic improvements to its vehicles. An update to these regulations has been long overdue, and HUD has taken a positive step forward by proposing a new rule. I will continue to work on behalf of Indiana’s vibrant RV industry to ensure regulations reflect the dynamic nature of the field.”
Ron Breymier, Executive Director for the Indiana Manufactured Housing Association – RV Indiana Council (IMHA-RVIC) said, “Our Indiana Association is very pleased with HUD’s proposed rule clarifying the distinction between park model RVs and manufactured homes. This has been a long, but successful process. Although national in scope, in Indiana the clarification will be helpful to county officials in guiding them on the proper assessment and taxation of these two distinct and important products. The proposed rule would not have been possible without the hard work of Indiana’s congressional delegation and we are thankful for their support in this process.”
