Washington, D.C. -Today, Congressman Joe Donnelly was presented with the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association’s (RVIA) National Legislative Award in recognition of his work on behalf of the RV industry.

“I am honored to have received this award,” Donnelly said. “The RV industry plays an integral role in our local economy. I have worked my hardest to make sure that, during these tough economic times, I am advocating to the best of my ability for RV-related businesses and the Hoosiers they employ. I thank RVIA for this tremendous honor.”

Since he took office in 2007, Donnelly has worked to make sure that RV businesses can continue to compete, despite the current economic challenges that our country faces. He also has worked to pair the RV industry with the Small Business Administration (SBA) in ways that will help the industry more quickly get back on its feet. In May, Donnelly succeeded in increasing the number of RV companies that are eligible to receive SBA loans by providing an alternate size standard of up to $8.5 million in sales. Prior to that change, companies were subject to more stringent size limitations based on sales or number of employees.

In addition, Donnelly and Senator Evan Bayh recently announced that SBA would begin offering floor plan financing to RV dealers, which will give individual dealers up to $2 million in credit to purchase more inventory.

“We are fortunate to have Congressman Donnelly in Congress at a time when our industry is facing historic distress.  He is a great advocate for his district and our industry and has been known to often proactively reach out to RV manufacturers and suppliers to find out how he can be helpful,” said Jim Sheldon, RVIA Chairman of the Board.

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