On Monday, Feb. 9, RV Industry Association (RVIA) Director of State Government Affairs Michael Ochs testified before the Nebraska Senate Committee on Transportation and Telecommunications, offering full support for passage of LB 1121, which would govern RV manufacturer-dealer agreements in the state.
Also testifying in support of the bill were Senator Beau Ballard (District 21), the sponsor of the bill, as well as Nick Staab of Rich & Sons RV in Grand Island, Nebraska, and Andy Mullins of AC Nelson RV World in Omaha, Nebraska. In his testimony, the president of the Nebraska New Car and Truck Dealers Association, while remaining neutral on the bill since none of his members deal in RVs, let committee members know he had no problems with the bill.
This legislation would create a framework that better reflects the relationship between RV manufacturers and dealers. LB 1121 is based on the RV Industry Association-RV Dealers Association Model Manufacturer-Dealer Agreement Bill, which was approved by the two organizations in 2020. It would also place one RV dealer and one RV manufacturer on the Nebraska Motor Vehicle Licensing Board.
Over the years, the RV industry has worked to establish exemptions from parts of the automobile franchise law because many provisions do not pertain to the RV industry or are handled differently by RV manufacturers and dealers than by the automobile industry. As an extension of these efforts, the RV Industry Association has advocated for an RV-specific franchise law to place the manufacturer-dealer relationship for RVs in a separate chapter of law, creating more clarity for RV business and consumers.
This legislation is the product of negotiations last year between the RV Industry Association and the RV dealers in Nebraska, both of whom strongly support its approval. Passage of the legislation will strengthen the viability of the RV industry in Nebraska to the state’s benefit and that of consumers, manufacturers, and dealers.
LB 1121 is designed to be fair, reciprocal, and reasonable to all stakeholders – and in the RV industry, that includes not only the dealer and the manufacturer, but also suppliers to manufacturers who provide a written warranty on their products directly to those who purchase and enjoy RVs. These suppliers must also treat dealers fairly under LB 1121 in warranty matters – a major difference from the automobile industry.
View Ochs’ testimony here (beginning at 12:47).
