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Why would you say something like that?

 

The law was signed by the governor in June of 2013. Introduced some 2-3 months earlier. The email I received from Escapees headquarters on January 27th thanked me for bringing it to their attention. Obviously no one was monitoring last legislative session.

 

Barb

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I sent a note to the Escapees office about this. The Senator's office didn't have any contact with them and were asking who the Escapees had spoken to. My contact mentioned that she had heard from several others in Livingston about this. I think she is seeing the magnitude of it. I also told her about the permanently mounted RVs that were registered, but couldn't be moved. I asked if she would ask the DMV to call me since they are in charge of registrations and rules governing it.

 

I'll report back when I learn more.

Michael

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They now be many leaving the state for SD or FL when they find out.

Sad that Escapees didn't give a heads up on that. :( So many could have been planning a change, the last 7 months on what to do.

 

That may effect the mail forwarding accounts for many. Driver License, vehicle Insurance, health Insurance etc.

The club office is working on this.

On how to tell the membership?

Stopping it from going into effect? How?

Started to work on it when?

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I have seen NOTHING from the club on this...was it in the magazine, or on this forum, or how about on the built end board in the parks ? I have a home base at Rainbows End, now gotta rethink a SD address.

Edited by Dave W

Dave W. KE5GOH

Stuck in the 70's ---

In E. Texas

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The law was signed by the governor in June of 2013. Introduced some 2-3 months earlier. The email I received from Escapees headquarters on January 27th thanked me for bringing it to their attention. Obviously no one was monitoring last legislative session.

And did you report it to the office? Esapees is not a large organization and they depend upon members to help. Some do so and others just complain, much as in every club or organization.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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Kirk,

 

One of the selling points for Escapees has been that they are working to make sure RVers in Texas are treated fairly. I only found out about this through a link to the HDT section a couple of weeks ago - - I don't monitor legislative action in Texas during the legislative session. That is what Escapees headquarters should have been doing if they want to keep customers. I reported it to the office as soon as I found the link to the legislation, and they hadn't heard about it. Again, one of their selling points was that they were on top of things relative to RVers - clearly that is no longer true!

 

Barb

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net
SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834

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Look - This issue has Escapees between a rock and a hard place unless they can get it resolved. If Escapees advertised this widely last year, their growth,i.e. new members, would be adversely affected. Handling it quietly behind the scenes to try and get it overturned may have been the best road for all concerned.

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I would agree except that it appears from the reply I got from Escapees office was that they didn't know about it. There was no handling behind the scenes that I can see and it appears that the state senator and state representative for the Polk county area also had no idea what was going on.

 

Barb

Barb & Dave O'Keeffe
2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID
Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net
SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834

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Why would handling it quietly be the best way for all concerned ??! I can only see one party here that may benefit from handling it quietly, and it isn't a member that may need to renew their registration while in BFE (if that is still a place ), or Minnesota .

Dave W. KE5GOH

Stuck in the 70's ---

In E. Texas

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I see a lot of pickup trucks and sedans all over the US with Texas plates. I guess it is because TX is such an inexpensive state to keep a vehicle registered in people just don't change when they move.

 

Any changes are going to impact many, many more people than just RV and military folks.

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If Escapees advertised this widely last year, their growth,i.e. new members, would be adversely affected.

 

I guess if the only reason people join the Escapees is to use their mail service as a domicile address, then, yes, this could certainly affect membership numbers. However, we're Escapees even though we were domiciled in South Dakota.

 

Michael said " It could potentially remove Texas from my list of fulltime RV-friendly states." I'm wondering if this isn't part of the reason behind this new law (remember the flap a few years ago about Escapees Mail Service members voting...that went to the Texas Supreme Court before it was resolved). It would be interesting to know who was behind this new law.

 

Edited by LindaH

LindaH
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It would be interesting to know who was behind this new law.

While that is true, I highly doubt that there was any sort of conspiracy but that it was simply an oversight. If you happen to be a resident who is here most all of the time it would actually be more convenient than the current system with two stickers. We were in TX when the registration sticker came about and it was done to curb the stealing of date stickers on license plates that had become a problem. I didn't consider it the best answer back then and I still don't but if you were never gone at renewal time the combining of the stickers would be less of a hassle than the present system. On our current SUV the inspection is due in Dec. and the plates are not due until May which is a nuisance and there is the two stickers as well. The Polk Co. delegation is looking at it so I do expect that to get corrected and there is still a year to get it done.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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Sorry but I have to disagree Kirk. I can renew registration totally through the mail if it is not tied to inspection. I went over a year without an inspection because my truck was out of state that long. When I first brought it back into state I had it inspected immediately. No problem. New method, total problem.

 

New system was probably a screw-up tied to some other scheme or thought to be good idea. I don't think pointing fingers at Escapees at this point it usefull. I think contacting legislators will have best chance of correcting it. I think we need to try educate as many people as possibe about the effect of this is important. It is much more than RV'rs. What about the family that is with their child here in Memphis who is at St. Jude. Are they going to drive back to Texas to get an inspection. What about the employee that is working out of state for an extended period say in N. Dakota. Are they going to have to time their work schedule to their vehicle registration? This has the potential to create a huge mess.

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There is a political forum on Feb. 15, at the Care Center at Rainbows End. If I was anywhere near I would be in attendance. I suspect a lot of folks there will show up if they are aware of this.

 

KUDOS to mrshwarz for the factual information and contacting the Sen. already.

Edited by bigjim
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Sorry but I have to disagree Kirk. I can renew registration totally through the mail if it is not tied to inspection. I went over a year without an inspection because my truck was out of state that long. When I first brought it back into state I had it inspected immediately. No problem. New method, total problem.

 

New system was probably a screw-up tied to some other scheme or thought to be good idea. I don't think pointing fingers at Escapees at this point it usefull. I think contacting legislators will have best chance of correcting it. I think we need to try educate as many people as possibe about the effect of this is important. It is much more than RV'rs. What about the family that is with their child here in Memphis who is at St. Jude. Are they going to drive back to Texas to get an inspection. What about the employee that is working out of state for an extended period say in N. Dakota. Are they going to have to time their work schedule to their vehicle registration? This has the potential to create a huge mess.

Exactly - I really think that RVers are in the minority of those impacted.

 

FWIW, I have two vehicles tagged in TX that have never been inspected in the state since I've owned them (one never, the other by the PO because he lived in TX)

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It this becomes law as currently written we will change our domicile to SD or Florida. And if we change our domicile, we will change our mail forwarding service to one in our domicile state. And if we don't have Escapees mail service in Texas, we likely won't maintain an Escapees membership.

Edited by BooneDocks
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If you don't register it for road use doesn't it then become taxable similar to a mobile home? I recall some fussing about that many years ago but not the details.

It very well may. Texas Tax Code Title 1 Sec.11.14 reads:

"Sec. 11.14. TANGIBLE PERSONAL PROPERTY NOT PRODUCING INCOME. (a) A person is entitled to an exemption from taxation of all tangible personal property, other than manufactured homes, that the person owns and that is not held or used for production of income. This subsection does not exempt from taxation a structure that a person owns which is substantially affixed to real estate and is used or occupied as a residential dwelling.

(b. In this section:

(1) "Manufactured home" has the meaning assigned by Section 11.432.

(2) "Structure" does not include a vehicle that:

(A) is a trailer-type unit designed primarily for use as temporary living quarters in connection with recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal use;

(B. is built on a single chassis mounted on wheels;

© has a gross trailer area in the set-up mode of 400 square feet or less; and

(D) is certified by the manufacturer as complying with American National Standards Institute Standard A119.5."

 

It sounds like an RV on blocks, skirted, etc. could be taxed as personal property. Paragraph b.2. makes it sound like a current registration would be at least some evidence of qualifying for exemption from the personal property tax.

 

Something else of note is that vehicle registration fees go to the State General Fund and other specific state funds. The personal property tax goes to the county, so there may be competing interests in how or if this situation is resolved in regard to RVs that never move.

Edited by TCW

The one that dies with the most toys is still dead!

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Sorry but I have to disagree Kirk. I can renew registration totally through the mail if it is not tied to inspection. I went over a year without an inspection because my truck was out of state that long. When I first brought it back into state I had it inspected immediately. No problem. New method, total problem.

Jim, you missed what I actually said. I said if you are in residence which means present in the state. I too have been out of state many times, renewing by mail or online when out of state in our 12 years. It is definitely a bad thing for those who travel, whether fulltimers or just travelers in an automobile. What I said was that this is probably what they were thinking and never considering what happens if those same people happen to be out of the state when registration is due.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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One of the items that is in the mix: There are literally thousands of class 8 truck tractors that are registered in Texas that do not return to the state on a regular basis. Companies like Halliburton, Schlumberger, Stevens Transport and hundreds of others all operate all over the 48 states with units that are assigned to terminals or facilities elsewhere. Since these are considered motor carriers they only have to have an annual Federal inspection completed, a relatively inexpensive alternative that has no connection to the state registration process. The annual Texas inspection can be in lieu of the Federal inspection if the company choses.

Surely the Texas Trucking Association would be all over this. A cursory look at their legislative page doesn't indicate any flags:

 

http://www.tmta.com/TMTA/Legislative_Issues/TMTA/Legislative.aspx?hkey=7c1db96d-a0f0-4836-8c88-de91af9b54ec

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While that is true, I highly doubt that there was any sort of conspiracy but that it was simply an oversight.

 

Oh, I'm sure you're right, Kirk. It's just the first thing that popped into my mind when I read the OP's report on the new law! :P

LindaH
2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K
2011 Kia Soul

 

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No, Kirk, I did understand your in residence which is why I made the example of someone out of state for an extended time but not on a regular basis like medical care. If I am in the state I can't see where it is difficult to get an inspection by the required date unless I just forget or wait to the last minute and then something comes up like rain that prevents the inspection. Maybe it is a matter of degrees but I don't see how this new system improves anything but revenues for someone without having to say we raised taxes. I hate to think conspiracy theories but any more I can't help it. Often stuff like this that is really about money seem to be enacted almost in secret. Conspiracy is really not the best word in this context but is the best my wore out brain can come up with at the moment. To quote Judge Judy who I don't really like, "Don't pee on my leg and tell me its raining."

 

I still say discussion is good but now is the time for action.

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